tihtavy  of Cb^  theological  ^eminarjp 

PRINCETON   .   NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

Harry  R.  DeYounp- 


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JOHN'SkGOSFEL 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  CHRIST'S  DEITY. 


BY 


REV.  DAVID  GREGG,  D.  D. 


\ 


JUN131972  ^ 


^t-.u.. 


AMERICA JV  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


COPYRIGHT,  i8g,. 
AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


GONTRNTS. 


THE  PROLOGUE- _..      7 

"  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God."    John  i  :  i. 

THE  WORD    MADE    FLESH,   OR   JESUS   CHRIST   THE 

SON  OF  GOD ij 

*'  The  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us."    John  i  :  14.     ^ 

THE    FIRST    DISCIPLES  :      THE    WAY    THEY    FOUND 

CHRIST 26 

"And  looking  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  he  saith,  Behold  the    ^ 
Lamb  of  God !     And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,  and  they 
followed  Jesus."    John  1:36,37. 

THE  FIRST  MIRACLE,  OR  THE  WEDDING  AT  CANA—    43 

"This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and     ^ 
manifested  forth  his   glory;    and   his  disciples  believed  on  him." 
John  2:11. 

CHRIST   AND   NICODEMUS,    OR    THE  DOCTRINE  OF    RE- 
GENERATION       59 

"Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God."    John  3:3. 

CHRIST'S    DEFINITION    OF    WORSHIP:    HIS   SERMON   AT 
JACOB'S  WELL 75 

"  God  is  a  Spirit ;  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  him 
in  spirit  and  in  truth."    John  4:24. 


4  CONTENTS. 

THE  FIVE  THOUSAND  FED _. 88 

"  And  they  filled  twelve  baskets  with  the  fragments  of  the  five 
barley-loaves."    John  6:13. 

CHRIST  THE  BREAD  OF  LIFE 102 

"  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the  bread  of  life."  John  6:35. 

CHRIST  AT  THE  FEAST 119 

"  In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and 
cried,  saying.  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink." 
John  t-z-j. 


CHRIST  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD 162 

"I  am  the  Good  Shepherd."    John  10: ir. 

DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  OF  LAZARUS 178 

"Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  John 
11:25. 

CHRIST  AND  THE  SEEKING  GREEKS  _ _- _  193 

"  And  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  them  that  came  up  to 
worship  at  the  feast ;  the  same  came  therefore  to  Philip,  which  was 
of  Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  and  desired  him,  saying,  Sir,  we  would  see 
Jesus."    John  12:20,  21. 

JESUS    TEACHING    HUMILITY    BY  WASHING   HIS   DIS- 
CIPLES' FEET - -  207 

"  Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord  ;  and  j'e  say  well,  for  so  I  am.  If 
I  then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought 
to  wash  one  another's  feet."    John  13:13,  14. 

CHRIST  COMFORTING  HIS  DISCIPLES  — - .,—  220 

"  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."    John  14:  i. 


1/ 


i/ 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD 136  / 

*'  Before  Abraham  was,  I  AM."    John  8:58. 

CHRIST  AND  THE   BLIND   MAN,  OR  THE  TESTIMONY 

OF  EXPERIENCE 148 

"One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now   I    see." 
John  9:25. 


y 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHRIST  THE  TRUE  VINE - 234 

"  I  am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches."    John  15:5. 

THE  WORK  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 245 

"  He  shall  glorify  Me."    John  16: 14. 

CHRIST'S  INTERCESSORY  PRAYER 259 

"Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven."    John  17:  i. 

CHRIST  BETRAYED  BY  JUDAS 274 

"Judas  who  betrayed  him."    John  18:2. 

CHRIST  BEFORE  PILATE 286 

"  Then  delivered  he  him  therefore  unto  them  to  be  crucified." 
John  19:16. 

THE  CRUCIFIXION  OF  CHRIST —  302 

"And  He,  bearing  His  cross,  went  forth."    John  19:17. 


^ 


CHRIST  RISEN 316 

"  Mary  Magdalene  came  and  told  the  disciples  that  she  had  seen     ^/^^ 
the  Lord."    John  20:18. 

THE  RISEN  CHRIST  AND  HIS  DISCIPLES- -  333 

"  This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus  showed  himself  to  his    ^ 
disciples  after  that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead."    John  21 :  14. 


THE   PROLOGUE. 

"  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with 
God,  and  the  Word  was  God."— John  i:i. 

Like  the  first  book  of  the  Old  Testament,  this 
last  Gospel  of  the  New  Testament  begins  with  a 
preface.  The  two  introductions  are  marvellously 
alike.  They  both  make  God  the  frontispiece  of 
the  book.  Both  books  narrate  the  works  of  God. 
In  Genesis  God  works  as  Creator ;  in  this  last  Gos- 
pel God  works  as  Redeemer. 

The  preface  of  a  book  prepares  the  reader  for 
the  perusal  of  the  book.  This  is  especially  true  of 
the  preface  to  the  Gospel  according  to  John.  It 
outlines  the  book  and  strikes  its  keynote.  Like 
the  entire  Gospel,  it  is  distinctively  Johannean ; 
just  as  the  writings  'of  Paul  are  distinctively  Paul- 
ine. It  is  full  of  deep  and  grand  things,  such  as 
the  intuitive  and  contemplative  nature  of  the  apos- 
tle of  love  would  both  grasp  and  enjoy.  While 
the  truths  and  facts  narrated  are  deep,  the  expres- 
sion of  these  is  simple  and  crystalline  and  beauti- 
ful. There  is  no  mistaking  what  the  writer  says. 
The  difficulty  is  to  make  the  clearly  stated  truths 
and  facts  living  realities  in  the  soul.  John's  wri- 
tings are  like- those  deep  goblet-lakes  which  the 
mountains  hold  up  to  the  gaze  of  the  world  six 
and  eight  thousand  feet  in  the  air.  The  waters  in 
these  lakes  are  as  clear  as  dewdrops,  but  it  takes 
a  long  line  to  fathom  their  depths.  No  mental 
plummet  has  ever  touched  the  bottom  of  the  living 
waters  of  truth  in  this  Johannean  lake. 


8  THE   PROLOGUE. 

In  studying  the  introduction  which  John  gives 
Jesus  Christ  we  notice  that  it  differs  from  the  in- 
troductions of  Jesus  Christ  which  the  writers  of 
the  other  Gospels  give  their  Master.  It  differs 
from  these  because  John  had  a  different  object 
from  that  .which  Matthew  and  Luke  and  Mark 
had.  His  Gospel  was  intended  to  serve  the  same 
Christ,  but  it  was  intended  to  serve  him  in  a  dif- 
ferent way.  It  was  intended  to  exalt  a  different 
aspect  of  the  person  of  Christ. 

John's  introduction  accords  with  his  Gospel, 
just  as  their  introductions  accord  with  their  Gos- 
pels. We  need  the  fourfold-story  of  the  Christ 
which  the  evangelists  give  us,  and  we  cannot  but 
admire  the  consistency  of  each  Gospel  with  itself. 

Let  us  set  before  our  minds  the  purpose  of 
each  Gospel  and  the  consistent  way  Christ  is  intro- 
duced by  each. 

Matthew's  Gospel  is  "the  gospel  of  the  king- 
dom." He  sets  forth  the  Christ  as  the  long-looked- 
for  King  of  the  Jews.  It  was  written  in  Hebrew 
and  abounds  in  quotations  from  the  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures. When  the  genealogy  of  Christ  is  given 
and  traced  through  the  Hebrew  Bible,  he  opens 
his  Gospel  with  the  thrilling  story  of  the  Magi 
who  come  from  the  far  East  to  celebrate  Christ's 
birth  with  precious  gifts  and  to  greet  him  as  a 
King.  They  tell  in  Judsea  the  wonder  of  the  bla- 
zing star  and  how  they  were  guided.  They  find 
the  royal  manger  and  do  homage  to  the  Child-King. 
This  chapter  of  Matthew  which  narrates  the  royal 
honors  paid  Jesus  by  the  unknown  Magi  strikes 


THE   PROLOGUE.  9 

the  key-note  of  the  whole  Gospel  of  Matthew,  "  the 
Gospel  of  the  kingdom."  The  preface  and  the 
Gospel  fit. 

Mark  sets  the  Christ  forth  as  "  the  servant  of 
God."  The  object  of  Mark's  Gospel  is  to  show  the 
busy  life  which  the  Christ  lived  while  on  earth. 
Consequently  it  is  broken  and,  as  it  were,  abrupt 
and  out  of  breath.  It  passes  with  marked  rapidity 
from  one  scene  to  another,  from  one  deed  to  an- 
other, and  from  one  address  to  another.  It  does 
not  take  time  to  record  a  single  incident  attending 
the  birth  of  Christ.  It  introduces  him  a  full  ma- 
ture man,  baptized  by  John,  and  inducted  into 
that  stupendous  and  awful  ministry  which  ends 
with  the  cross.  His  first  chapter,  which  introdu- 
ces a  busy  man,  strikes  the  key-note  of  his  Gospel 
of  "  the  servant  of  God."     Preface  and  Gospel  fit. 

Luke's  Gospel  is  "  the  Gospel  of  the  humanity 
of  Christ."  In  accordance  with  its  mission,  its  first 
chapter  is  largely  filled  with  human  scenes.  The 
genealogy  is  given  and  the  story  of  his  birth.  The 
poverty  of  his  parents  is  recorded.  The  story  of 
the  shepherds  finding  him  in  the  feed-trough  of 
the  cattle  is  told.  Christ  entered  the  human  world 
amid  the  lowest  conditions  of  humanity.  The 
opening  chapter  of  Luke's  Gospel  relates  this,  and 
thus  strikes  the  key-note  of  "  the  Gospel  of  Christ's 
humanity."     Preface  and  Gospel  fit. 

The  gospel  of  John  is  ''the  gospel  of  the 
DEITY  OF  Christ."  It  requires  an  introduction 
different  from  that  given  by  the  other  Gospels. 
Accordingly  John  begins  differently.      He  begins 


lO  THE   PROLOGUE. 

his  Gospel  back  of  the  history  of  the  human  race 
and  beyond  the  beginning  of  the  world  ;  just  as  he 
ends  his  book  of  Revelation  beyond  all  historians 
and  beyond  the  end  of  the  world.  In  the  very 
first  words  which  flow  from  his  pen  he  rings  the 
changes  on  Christ's  deity.  These  changes  he 
keeps  ringing  to  the  very  end.  From  first  to  last 
it  is  deity,  DEITY,  DEITY.  The  incidents  which 
he  gives,  which  are  peculiar  to  his  Gospel  and 
which  are  omitted  by  the  other  evangelists,  are 
incidents  which  are  instinct  with  divinity.  His 
Gospel  Y/as  the  last  written.  It  was  held  back 
until  the  other  Gospels  had  become  fully  known 
and  until  the  world  was  filled  with  the  discussions 
concerning  the  Christ.  When  the  interest  with 
regard  to  Christ  was  at  its  highest  point  it  came 
forth  with  the  highest  views  of  Christ,  and  correct- 
ed current  errors  and  illumined  the  other  Gospels. 
It  was  a  grand  growth.  It  was  a  vast  advance 
beyond  anything  that  had  ever  been  published. 
It  freshened  the  Christ  already  revealed  and  gave 
point  and  fitness  to  the  wonderful  stories  connect- 
ed with  his  birth.  Since  Christ  is  God  manifest  in 
the  flesh,  it  is  fitting  that  the  shepherds  should  be 
filled  with  wonder  and  the  Magi  with  worship  and 
the  sky  with  flashing  shechinah-fire  and  the  angels 
with  rapturous  song.  Here  again  preface  and  Gos- 
pel fit.  There  are  no  other  conceivable  words  bet- 
ter suited  for  the  opening  of  "  the  Gospel  of  the 
deity  of  the  Christ "  than  these  words :  "  In  the 

BEGINNING  WAS  THE  WORD,  AND  THE  WORD  WAS 
WITH  God,  AND  THE  WORD  WAS  GOD." 


STUDIES  IN  JOHN'S  GOSPEL, 


THE  WORD  MADE  FLESH,  OR  JESUS 
CHRIST  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

"The  Word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us." 
John  1:14. 

Admit  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God,  and 
his  character  and  words  and  works  will  weave 
themselves  into  a  story  that  is  perfectly  unique. 
Divine  words  and  divine  works  and  a  divine  char- 
acter require  a  divine  person.  This  is  what  the 
apostle  of  love  teaches,  and  with  him  this  teach- 
ing is  an  intuition.  This  is  the  sum  and  substance 
of  his  "Gospel  of  spiritual  insight."  Admit  the 
deity  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  everything  fits. 

Can  you  explain  the  character  of  Christ  apart 
from  the  deity  of  Christ  ?  No.  His  character  was 
not  the  product  of  his  age.  Like  only  can  produce 
like.  His  age  was  carnal,  wicked,  narrow,  selfish. 
He  was  spiritual  and  good  and  broad  and  unself- 
ish. You  might  as  well  try  to  prove  that  the  Al- 
leghanies  or  the  Cat'skills  or  the  Rockies  were 
piled  up  into  mountains  by  the  spades  of  the  Ital- 
ians who  build  our  railroads,  as  try  to  establish 
that  Jesus  Christ  was  made  out  of  the  virtues  of 


12  STUDIES   IN  JOHNS   GOSPEL. 

his  times.  He  was  not  from  beneath,  therefore 
he  must  have  been  from  above. 

In  the  Scripture  before  us  the  apostle  John  lays 
down  and  unfolds  three  propositions  relative  to 
the  deity  of  his  Master. 

I.  Jesus  Christ  is  God  incarnated. 

The  absolute  divinity  of  Christ  could  not  be 
stated  with  greater  clearness  in  human  language. 
It  is  stated  so  as  to  anticipate  all  the  questions 
which  an  inquirer  might  put  concerning  it.  It  is 
stated,  and  it  is  guarded  against  error.  The  open- 
ing clauses  of  this  Gospel  are  complete  and  climac- 
teric. They  state  truth,  and  they  refute  error.  In- 
dividualize these  clauses  and  see ! 

There  is  an  error  abroad  "that  the  Logos,  or 
Word,  is  not  eternally  pre-existent,  but  is  a  crea- 
tion or  emanation  from  God."  That  error  is  anni- 
hilated by  the  first  phrase  of  this  Gospel,  "  In  the 
beginning  was  the  Word."  The  term  ''begin- 
ning "  puts  Christ  back  of  the  existence  of  crea- 
tion and  of  creatures.  It  makes  him  therefore 
"  The  Uncreated.''  What  is  The  Uncreated  but  The 
Eternal  ? 

There  is  an  error  abroad  "  that  the  Word  was 
the  development  or  manifestation  of  the  unseen 
and  infinite  God,  and  as  such  had  no  distinct  per- 
sonality." That  error  is  annihilated  by  the  second 
phrase  of  this  Gospel,  "  The  Word  was  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God."  "  This  phrase  makes  a 
distinction  between  the  Word  and  God,  or  to  ex- 
press ourselves  differently,  it  gives  the  Word  a 
personality,  and  the  Father,  who  is  called  God,  a 


THE  WORD   MADE   FLESH.  13 

personality.  The  two  persons  fellowship  and  com- 
panionate as  equal. 

There  is  an  error  abroad  "that  Christ  was  a 
second  or  inferior  God,  a  sub-deity,  and  as  such 
subordinate  in  his  essential  nature  to  the  Father." 
That  error  is  annihilated  in  the  third  phrase  of 
this  Gospel,  ''And  the  Word  was  God."  This 
statement  is  absolute  and  without  the  shadow  of 
qualification.  There  is  not  a  hint  of  any  such 
thing  as  "  a  sub-deity."  Whatever  we  may  say  as 
to  the  truth  or  untruth  of  what  John  affirms,  there 
can  be  no  dispute  that  he  believed,  and  that  he 
directly  and  fearlessly  asserted,  that  Jesus  Christ 
was  God  incarnated. 

In  treating  of  the  deity  of  Christ  the  old  divines 
used  to  ask  this  question  and  give  this  answer: 
**  How  do  you  prove  that  the  Bible  teaches  that 
Christ  was  God  ?"  "  The  Bible  teaches  that  Christ 
was  God  in  that  it  ascribes  to  him  the  names  and 
attributes  and  works  of  God."  You  will  find  this 
question  and  answer  in  Fisher's  and  Erskine's 
Catechism.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  old  divines 
got  their  question  and  answer  from  the  opening 
verses  of  John's  Gospel.  John  ascribes  to  Jesus 
Christ  these  very  things,  the  names  of  God,  the 
attributes  of  God,  and  the  works  of  God.  He 
ascribes  to  him  the  names  of  God.  He  calls  him 
The  Light,  This  is  a  name  of  God :  "  God  is  light, 
and  in  him  is  no  darkness."  He  ascribes  to  him 
the  attributes  of  God.  He  ascribes  to  him  person- 
ality and  eternity.  He  dates  his  existence  away 
back  in  the  sublime  solitudes  before  time  began. 


14  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

Christ,  says  John,  ante-dated  creation.  He  ascribes 
to  him  the  works  of  God  :  "  All  things  were  made 
by  him ;  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made."  He  ascribes  creation  to  Christ. 
Now  only  God  can  create.  It  was  his  voice  away 
back  in  the  beginning  that  said,  "  Let  there  be 
light ;  and  there  was  light." 

From  these  ascriptions  you  see  how  much 
must  be  read  into  the  Incarnation.  You  see  how 
great  with  meaning  is  the  cradle-manger  of  Beth- 
lehem. This  babe  who  lies  in  the  feed-trough  is 
one  with  Him  whose  throne  is  fixed  in  the  heav- 
ens. This  infant,  who  is  hardly  a  mother's  armful, 
is  He  who  fills  immensity.  This  weeping  infant 
is  He  whose  voice  is  thunder  and  whose  arm  is 
omnipotent.  This  child,  whose  dormant  powers 
will  open  through  a  long  period  of  culture,  is  one 
with  Him  whose  understanding  is  infinite.  This 
child,  to  whom  his  mother's  voice  is  the  sweetest 
music,  is  one  with  Him  who  dwells  for  ever  amid 
the  praises  of  the  universe.  This  babe,  born  but 
an  hour  ago,  is  He  who  existed  from  all  eternity. 
This  little  creature  is  none  other  than  the  Creator. 
He  made  every  flower  that  blooms,  every  tree  that 
waves  its  arms  in  the  storm,  and  every  star  that 
sparkles.  It  was  His  hand  that  buried  the  coal  in 
strata  and  the  oil  in  rivers. .  It  was  He  who  hid 
the  precious  gems  among  the  rocks  of  earth.  He 
created  all  things. 

You  ask  me  if  I  believe  what  John  teaches  con- 
cerning Christ  as  the  incarnate  God  ?  I  answer,  I 
do ;  and  I  ask  in  return,  Why  should  I  not  ?    You 


THE  WORD   MADE  FLESH.  1 5 

respond,  "  It  is  so  great  a  mystery.  No  one  can 
understand  it."  The  great  objection  urged  against 
the  incarnation  of  God  in  Christ  is  just  this,  "  It  is 
so  great  a  mystery."  But  why  should  mystery  be 
urged  as  an  objection  ?  The  Bible  does  not  deny 
its  mystery.  It  is  the  first  to  assert  it.  Those  who 
are  unbelievers  are  not  the  originators  of  this  idea 
of  mystery.  The  Bible  itself  says,  "  Great  is  the 
mystery  of  godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh." 
The  Bible  does  not  treat  its  mystery  as  an  objec- 
tion or  as  a  reason  for  our  want  of  faith  in  it.  It 
takes  for  granted  that  God  is  able  to  do  that  which 
we  are  not  able  to  comprehend.  If  we  are  to  be- 
lieve only  that  which  is  free  from  mystery,  our 
faith  must  necessarily  be  narrowed  to  a  very  small 
compass.  We  cannot  believe  in  ourselves,  for  we 
are  a  great  mystery.  Can  you  understand  how 
that  which  you  call  your  immortal  soul  can  come 
and  incarnate  itself  in  your  body  ?  Do  you  under- 
stand the  union  between  your  soul  and  body? 
Have  you  ever  seen  it  explained?  Yet  you  be- 
lieve it,  and  you  act  upon  it  as  a  fact.  Do  you  un- 
derstand the  relation  between  sound  and  thought  ? 
Yet  there  is  a  relation,  and  you  use  it.  You  use 
sound-symbols  which  we  call  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet,  and  through  them  put  the  invisible 
thoughts  which  are  in  your  mind  into  words,  and 
thus  give  them  body  and  visibility  and  perma- 
nence. It  is  a  wonderful  mystery  how  the  great 
world  of  invisible  thought  can  find  its  way  into 
visibility  by  means  of  a  few  simple  letters  of  the 
alphabet.    Yet  it  does  and  we  believe  it.    What 


l6  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

greater  wonder  is  it  if  the  invisible  God  becomes 
manifest  in  the  flesh  ?  We  are  living  in  a  world 
of  mystery,  and  the  reasons  of  things  most  familiar 
to  us,  and  used  by  us,  and  relied  upon  by  us,  are 
known  only  to  God.  Our  every-day  life  educates 
us  and  schools  us  for  believing  the  grandest  of 
all  mysteries,  the  incarnation  of  God  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

Let  us  set  forth  some  of  the  reasons  for  believ- 
ing what  John  puts  in  the  forefront  of  his  gospel, 
namely  :  The  divinity  of  Jesus  ;  or  the  incarnation 
of  God  in  Christ.     I  believe  it : 

(a.)  Because  I  find  the  manifold  assertion  of  it  in 
the  Scriptures.  Assertions  like  these  are  multi- 
plied :  ''In  Him  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the 
Godhead  bodily."  "  He  is  the  brightness  of  the 
Father's  glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  per- 
son. 

(b.)  Because  it  explains  the  mystery  of  his  wonder- 
ful life.  Without  the  incarnation,  without  the 
doctrine  of  his  divinity,  his  life  would  be  the  great- 
est of  all  mysteries.  John  says,  "  He  dwelt  among 
us,"  and  his  divine  dwelling  cannot  be  explained 
if  you  deny  his  divinity.  Let  me  give  a  simple 
statement  of  the  case.  Here  is  one  obscurely  born. 
He  has  been  reared  in  humble  circumstances.  He 
has  nothing  which  the  world  calls  power.  He 
starts  in  absolute  poverty.  He  founds  a  religion. 
He  makes  demands  for  the  whole  heart,  time,  tal- 
ents, means  of  men.  The  inducements  which  he 
offers  men  to  join  him  are  tribulation,  persecution, 
and  hard  work.     Laboring  under  these  disadvan- 


THE  WORD   MADE  FLESH.  17 

tages,  by  the  mere  force  of  his  teachings  and  his 
holy  life  he  gathers  a  multitude  of  followers.  He 
charms  the  fishermen  from  the  lakes,  the  soldiers 
from  the  standard,  the  publican  from  his  money 
tables,  the  physician  from  his  practice,  the  schol- 
arly student  from  the  feet  of  his  master,  the  hon- 
orable counsellor  from  his  deliberations,  the  ruleir 
from  pride  or  luxury.  The  chief  priests  conspire 
against  him,  but  he  is  held  dearer  than  ever. 
They  kill  him,  but  his  disciples  rally  and  his 
cause  goes  on.  They  seal  his  tomb,  but  in  some 
way  he  leaves  it  while  the  Roman  guard  is  around 
it.  He  is  seen  alive  by  half  a  thousand  people  at 
one  time.  Having  proven  his  resurrection,  he 
rises  visibly  to  heaven  and  to  God.  But  in  ascend- 
ing he  leaves  behind  him  a  church  which  to-day 
exists  after  eighteen  centuries  and  is  one  of  the 
mightiest  forces  on  earth.  You  ask  me  to  believe 
that  that  man  was  a  mere  man.  Make  him  a  mere 
man,  and  I  do  not  understand  his  life.  It  is  a 
mystery  which  staggers  me.  But  I  have  not  men- 
tioned all  that  is  worthy  of  mention  in  his  life. 
He  was  like  a  Creator  among  his  works.  While 
here  everything  obeyed  him,  the  wind,  the  sea, 
the  fishes,  the  trees.  He  cured  all  diseases  by  the 
word  of  his  mouth.  At  his  bidding  the  very  dead 
arose  to  life.  You  ask  me  to  believe  that  he  was 
a  mere  man.  Say  that  he  was  God  incarnate,  and 
these  works  are  easily  understood. 

But  say  some,  "  He  was  a  good  man,  and  God  hoji- 
ored  him  by  working  through  him.  If  he  had  been 
a  bad  man  he  could  not  have  done  such  things  or 

Btudies  In  John's  Gospel. 


1 8  STUDIES  IN  JOHN'S  GOSPEL. 

have  lived  this  life.  God  blessed  him  with  power, 
just  as  he  blessed  Moses  and  Elijah,  who  wrought 
miracles."  Neither  Moses  nor  Elijah  claimed  to 
be  God ;  but  Jesus  did.  The  Jews  took  up  stones 
to  stone  him  because  he  claimed  equality  with  the 
Father.  Could  a  good  man  go  through  life  pro- 
claiming a  lie  ?  Either  Christ  was  God  as  he 
claimed  to  be,  or  he  was  not.  There  is  no  middle 
position.  He  was  God,  or  else  he  was  an  impos- 
tor. Unbeliever,  you  laugh  at  the  mystery  of  the 
incarnation,  now  solve  the  mystery  of  Christ's  life 
without  the  incarnation.  Your  mystery  is  greater, 
for  it  is  this  :  Either  a  good  man  has  spoken  false- 
hood, or  an  impostor  has  cheated  the  world  and 
executed  the  deeds  of  a  God.  To  me  it  is  easier 
to  accept  of  the  mystery  of  Christ's  birth,  and  in 
it  see  a  simple  and  plain  explanation  of  the  divin- 
ity of  his  wonderful  life. 

II.  Christ  does  not  lack  evidence  to  establish  that 
he  is  the  incarnate  Gody  although  the  world  greets  him 
with  rejection, 

John,  having  declared  who  Christ  was,  proceeds 
at  once  to  tell  us  that  his  true  character  was  not 
recognized  by  men,  although  he  lived  among  them. 
"  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  his  own  received  him 
not."  Although  rejected,  he  seeks  to  set  before 
us  the  fact  that  there  was  no  reason  for  his  rejec- 
tion. There  was  abundant  evidence  to  establish 
his  divine  identity.     What  evidence  was  there  ? 

(a.)    There  was  the  testimony  of  his  own  divine  life. 

His  works  can  be  explained  only  by  his  deity. 
These  identify  him  as  the  Son  of  God,  by  whom 


THE  WORD   MADE   FLESH.  ig 

all  things  in  the  beginning  were  created.  These 
discover  to  us  that  in  him  we  have  the  great  Cre- 
ator once  more  in  the  midst  of  his  own  works. 
Let  me  resort  to  an  illustration.  When  Ulysses 
returned  home  to  Ithaca  with  fond  anticipations, 
his  family  did  not  recognize  him.  Even  his  wife 
denied  her  husband,  so  changed  was  he  by  an 
absence  of  twenty  years  and  by  the  exposures  of 
war.  It  was  thus  true  of  the  vexed  and  astonished 
Greek  as  of  a  nobler  King,  that  he  came  unto  his 
own  and  his  own  received  him  not.  In  this  pain- 
ful position  of  affairs  he  called  for  a  bow  which 
he  had  left  at  home  when  he  embarked  for  the 
siege  of  Troy.  With  characteristic  sagacity  he 
saw  how  a  bow  so  stout  and  tough  that  no  one 
but  he  could  draw  it  might  be  made  to  bear  wit- 
ness on  his  behalf.  He  seized  it,  and  to  their  sur- 
prise and  joy  it  yielded  to  his  strong  arm  like  a 
green  wand  lopped  from  a  willow-tree.  He  bent 
it  till  the  bow-string  touched  his  ear.  His  wife 
now  saw  that  he  was  her  long-lost  and  long- 
mourned  husband,  and  she  threw  herself  with 
confidence  into  his  arms.  Like  Ulysses,  if  I  may 
compare  small  things  with  great,  our  Lord  gave 
such  proof  of  his  divinity  when  he  was  a  stranger 
in  the  midst  of  his  own  creation.  He  bent  the 
stubborn  laws  of  nature,  which  only  God  can  bend. 
He  proved  that  he  was  the  heavenly  Creator  by 
his  mastery  over  creation.  Christ  has  Godlike 
deeds  and  a  divine  life  as  a  witness  to  his  divine 
identity. 

(b.)   There  was  the  testimony  of  prophecy. 


20  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

Under  this  head  comes  the  testimony  of  John 
the  Baptist.  He  bore  witness  to  Christ.  He  was 
the  last  and  greatest  of  the  Old  Testament  proph- 
ets, and  as  such  represented  them.  In  the  name 
of  all  who  preceded  him  he  hands  the  prophetic 
office  over  to  Jesus.  His  voice  was  the  recapitula- 
tion and  completion  of  the  whole  line  of  prophets. 
John  was  a  wonderful  witness.  So  wonderful  was 
he  that  many  thought  that  he  was  great  enough 
to  be  the  Messiah.  It  was  necessary  for  him  to 
say,  "  I  am  not  the  Christ."  Christ  had  the  testi- 
mony of  this  great  and  good  prophet. 

(c.)   There  was  the  testimony  of  his  disciples. 

They  saw  the  out  flashing  of  his  inherent  divin- 
ity in  the  mount  of  Transfiguration.  This  is  their 
testimony :  "  We  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of 
the  only-begotten  of  the  Father."  His  divinity  is 
a  historical  fact,  and  it  is  established  by  the  laws 
which  govern  human  evidence.  It  is  established 
just  as  the  genius  of  Napoleon  is  established. 
There  is  as  good  reason  to  doubt  the  one  as'  to 
doubt  the  other.  They  are  both  established  by 
the  testimony  of  eye-witnesses.  The  disciples  of 
Christ's  day  say,  "  He  dwelt  among  us,  and  .we 
saw  him  and  knew  who  he  was  and  what  he  was." 

(d.)  There  was,  and  there  is  still ,  the  testimony  of 
the  experience  of  his  followers.- 

The  witnesses  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  are  not 
all  dead.  There  is  a  present  testimony.  There 
are  living  witnesses.  There  are  men  to-day  who 
can  say,  *' Jesus  Christ  is  full  of  grace  and  truth 
and  life  and  light,  because  of  his  fulness  have  all 


THE   WORD    MADE   FLESH.  21 

we  received."  There  are  men  walking  the  streets 
of  New  York  who  are  full  of  Godlike  purposes 
and  feelings  and  virtues,  and  who  bear  the  like- 
ness of  God  and  who  are  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature.  Their  testimony  is,  "  All  this  came  to  us 
from  the  fulness  of  Christ."  Christ  could  not  give 
divine  things  if  he  were  not  divine.  The  argu- 
ment of  experience  is  a  mighty  argument.  Giving 
implies  having.  Ask  the  flowers  how  they  know 
that  the  sun  has  life  and  beauty.  They  reply, 
"  He  gives  us  life  and.  beauty."  Can  you  refute 
that  argument  ?  Can  you  successfully  deny  that 
the  sun  has  life  and  beauty  ?  If  you  did  deny  it, 
would  anybody  believe  you  so  long  as  the  flowers 
receive  life  and  beauty  from  the  sun?  Account 
for  the  divine  likeness  and  the  divine  things  which 
Christians  receive  from  Christ  if  Christ  be  not  di- 
vine.    "  Of  his  fulness  have  all  we  received." 

III.  Christ  as  the  incarnate  God  bestows  a  fulness 
of  blessing  upon  all  who  by  faith  receive  him  as  such. 

(a.)  He  gives  to  believers  the  most  satisfactory  rev- 
elation  of  God  and  of  truth. 

"  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;  the  only- 
begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
he  hath  declared  him."  He  is  to  the  Father  what 
words  are  to  thought.  Words  are  thoughts  in  vis- 
ible form.  He  is  called  the  Word  because  he  is 
God  in  visible  form — "  God  manifest  in  the  flesh." 
When  Thomas  said  to  him,  "  Lord,  show  us  the 
Father  and  it  will  suffice  us,"  He  said,  *'*  He  that 
hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father."  In  accord 
with  all  this  is  the  claim  which  he  makes  for  him- 


22  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S    GOSPEL. 

self  when  he  says,  "  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world." 
All  revelation  has  come  through  him.  He  was  in 
the  Theophanies  of  the  Old  Testament.  It  was 
with  him  that  Enoch  and  Noah  walked.  It  was  he 
who  was  with  Moses,  and  it  was  for  his  sake  that 
Moses  suffered.  Now  this  does  not  interfere  with 
the  function  and  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  it  is 
the  things  of  Christ  which  the  Spirit  takes  and 
shows  unto  men.  It  is  into  Christ's  truth  that  the 
Spirit  leads  us.  Christ  embodies  God  in  himself ; 
when  therefore  he  reveals  himself  he  reveals  God. 
Christ  embodies  truth  ;  he  is  the  Truth  :  when  he 
reveals  himself  he  reveals  truth.  There  is  not  an 
atom  of  truth  on  the  earth,  nor  a  ray  of  divine 
light  in  the  soul  of  man,  but  can  be  traced  by  the 
omniscient  Eye  back  to  Christ.  The  light  of  the 
Old  Testament !  He  is  the  source  of  that.  The 
light  of  the  New  Testament !  He  is  the  source  of 
that.  The  light  that  flickers  in  the  darkness  of 
heathendom !  He  is  the  source  of  that.  The  mis- 
sionaries tell  us  of  a  man  in  the  midst  of  heathen 
darkness  who  accepted  of  Christ  the  first  time  he 
heard  Christ  preached.  The  man  said,  ''Why  I 
have  been  believing  in  him  for  years,  but  I  did  not 
know  how  to  name  him."  He  told  them  how  he 
had  been  convicted  of  sin,  how  he  had  been  led  to 
renounce  all  trust  in  himself,  and  how  he  cried  to 
the  One  who  made  him,  asking  Him  to  send  some 
one  to  save  him.  He  told  them  that  he  felt  sure 
that  in  some  way  his  Maker  would,  and  he  was 
just  resting  in  that  trust.  That  man  never  rea- 
soned himself  up  into  that  trust.     His  light  came 


THE  WORD   MADE   FLESH.  23 

from  Christ,  althougli  lie  did  not  know  how  to 
name  him.  The  knowledge  of  an  unknown  Christ 
came  to  him  in  lines  he  knew  not. 

We  who  know  Christ  know  God.  We  know 
how  God  loves  and  forgives  and  acts.  We  know 
what  he  expects  from  us  and  how  he  would  have 
us  live.  We  know  the  things  which  he  has  provi- 
ded for  his  own. 

(b.)  He  gives  to  believers  the  adoption  of  sons. 

"  As  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God."  He  fills  them 
with  his  filial  spirit  and  transforms  them  into  his 
likeness.  Sons  of  God !  We  know  what  that  term 
carries  with  it.  It  carries  with  it  the  fellowship  of 
God's  household,  fellowship  with  Jesus  the  elder 
Brother,  fellowship  with  the  saints  of  the  past  and 
of  the  future.  It  means  Abraham's  bosom  and 
the  ministry  of  the  angels.  It  means  the  mansions 
and  the  harps  of  gold  and  the  unfading  crowns. 
It  means  the  river  of  life  and  the  tree  of  life.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures  sonship  carries  with  it 
heirship.  "  If  sons,  then  we  are  heirs."  Heirs  of 
what  ?  Let  the  Bible  answer.  "  Heirs  of  the  grace 
of  God."  *'  Heirs  of  salvation."  "  Heirs  of  the 
kingdom  which  God  hath  promised  to  those  who 
love  him."  "  Heirs  of  the  riches  of  the  glory  of 
the  inheritance  of  the  saints."  Is  this  all  ?  No, 
not  all.  The  most  wonderful  part  of  the  heritage 
of  sonship  yet  remains  to  be  spoken.  The  Bible 
says  that  we  are  "heirs  of  God."  To  be  heirs  of 
this  earth  would  be  much ;  to  be  heirs  of  heaven 
would  be  a  great  deal  more;  but  to  be  heirs  of 


24  STUDIES    IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

God,  to  have  him  as  our  portion,  is  incomparable 
beyond  all.  But  this  is  our  privilege.  The  Heav- 
enly Father  belongs  to  us.  This  is  a  wonderful 
fact,  but  it  is  a  fact.  How  much  it  means  it  will 
take  eternity  to  explain. 

PRACTICAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

1.  Open  your  heart  to  the  great  things  predicated 
of  Christ  in  this  wo?iderful  Gospel. 

What  grandeur  they  give  the  cause  of  Christ ! 
What  confidence  they  should  give  us  in  its  ulti- 
mate success !  What  dignity  they  give  to  Chris- 
tian faith !  What  glory  they  put  upon  Christ  him- 
self !  The  man  who  unreservedly  accepts  of  these 
teachings  of  John  concerning  Jesus  Christ  will  be 
on  fire  with  Christian  enthusiasm  and  will  be  ab- 
solute in  his  devotion  to  Christ  and  to  his  church. 
He  will  give  Christ  the  throne  of  his  soul.  He 
will  see  him  as  the  Lord  of  the  universe,  and  he 
will  judge  everything  and  appreciate  everything 
from  its  relation  to  Christ. 

2.  Attach  due  importance  to  the  fact  that  Christ  is 
the  incarnate  God. 

It  is  a  fundamental  fact  and  doctrine.  If  we 
look  upon  Christian  doctrine  as  constituting  an 
arch,  the  doctrine  of  the  incarnation  is  the  key- 
stone of  the  arch.  When  it  falls  every  other  doc- 
trine falls  with  it.  If  Christ  be  not  the  Son  of 
God,  the  gpspel  story  is  a  baseless  myth.  If  Christ 
be  not  the  Son  of  God,  Christendom  is  a  fiction. 

3.  Seek  a  re-incarnation  of  Christ  in  yourself. 
Paul  tells  us  that  this  is  the  will  of  God  con- 


THE   WORD   MADE   FLESH.  2$ 

cerning  us.  God  wants  the  life  of  Jesus  to  be 
made  manifest  in  our  mortal  flesh,  just  as  the  life 
of  God  was  made  manifest  in  Christ.  If  we  are 
Christ's  people  we  want  what  God  wants.  We 
want  God  to  make  us  vessels  meet  for  this  great 
purpose.  We  would  have  our  characters  so  pure 
and  so  transparent  that  his  glorious  life  might 
shine  through  them,  just  as  light  shines  through  a 
spotless  crystal.  We  would  have  such  a  fulness  of 
Christ's  indwelling  that  we  might  be  able  to  say, 
*'  It  is  no  longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ  who  liveth 
in  me." 


26  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES :  THE  WAY 
THEY  FOUND  CHRIST. 

*'Ano  looking  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  he  saith,  Behold 
THE  Lamb  of  God  !  And  the  two  disciples  heard  him 
speak,  and  they  followed  ]Esvs."^/o/m  1:36,  27- 

The  first  part  of  this  magnificent  chapter  deals 
with  the  origin  of  Jesus  Christ ;  the  last  part  deals 
with  the  origin  of  the  Christian  Church.  It  tells 
us  who  were  the  first  to  rally  around  Jesus,  accept 
his  doctrines,  and  consecrate  themselves  irrevoca- 
bly to  his  cause.  There  were  five  such  men :  John 
and  Andrew  and  Peter  and  Philip  and  Nathanael. 
When  we  remember  what  the  church  of  God  is 
and  the  place  which  it  has  always  had  in  the 
divine  plan,  we  can  see  the  importance  of  this  his- 
tory which  gives  us  the  origin  of  the  church. 
This  page  may  seem  a  quiet  one,  but  the  times 
which  it  chronicles  are  stirring  timxcs.  These  in- 
cidents related  may  seem  to  be  uneventful  things 
in  the  private  lives  of  lowly  persons,  but  they  are 
none  other  than  the  incidents  towards  which  all 
history  has  been  working.  These  private  men 
are  destined  to  become  public  actors.  There  is  a 
race  service  before  them  and  a  world-wide  fame. 

Their  true  life  begins  on  the  day  they  find 
Jesus  and  ally  themselves  with  him  and  his  future. 
This  is  the  case  with  every  immortal  soul.  All 
life  lived  apart  from  God  is  nothing  but  a  waste. 
The    greatness   of    a   man   begins   when    Christ 


THE   FIRST   DISCIPLES.  2/ 

marches  into  his  being  and  becomes  incarnate  in 
his  life.  The  incoming  of  Christ  into  the  h'fe  of 
man,  that  is  the  one  thing  above  all  things ;  that 
carries  in  it  a  future  as  bright  as  the  golden  day 
which  opens  in  splendor.  When  Christ  takes  pos- 
session of  a  man  he  fills  him  with  his  light  and 
makes  him  a  luminary  in  the  world.  See  what  he 
does  here.  He  lifts  rough  and  uncouth  fishermen 
from  their  fishing-boats  into  the  apostleship  and 
places  them  upon  the  thrones  of  thought  which 
rule  humanity. 

We  need  this  page  of  history  with  these  five 
names.  We  need  it  as  a  revelation  of  the  growth 
of  the  Christian  Church  and  as  a  standing  argu- 
ment to  the  divinity  of  the  gospel.  We  argue  the 
divinity  of  the  gospel  from  the  weakness  and  low- 
liness of  its  early  advocates.  It  progresses  despite 
their  lowliness  and  weakness.  It  shows  what  it  is 
by  what  it  does  for  them.  Behold  what  they  are 
when  it  finds  them !  Behold  what  they  are  when 
it  leaves  them!  This  is  the  way  to  understand 
what  the  gospel  is  and  what  it  can  do. 

Such  a  history  as  this,  when  linked  with  the 
advancing  history  of  the  church  and  with  the 
prophecies  which  picture  the  final  perfection  of 
the  church,  creates  great  expectations  for  the 
church  and  strengthens  our  faith  in  the  final  issue 
of  the  cause  of  Christ.  There  is  no  exercise  so 
stimulating  to  the  child  of  God  as  running  in 
thought  through  the  successive  stages  of  the 
growth  and  advancement  of  the  church.  This  is 
the  picture  which  opens  to  his  soul :  On  the  first 


28  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

day  Jesns  stands  alone ;  on  the  second  day  two 
disciples  join  him ;  as  the  days  follow,  a  third 
disciple  is  added,  and  a  fourth  disciple,  and  then  a 
fifth  disciple.  First  in  the  history  of  the  Christian 
Church  we  read  of  two,  then  of  five,  then  of  twelve, 
then  of  seventy,  then  of  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
then  of  five  hundred,  then  of  one  hundred  forty- 
and-four  thousand,  and  then  of  ten  thousand  times 
ten  thousand  and  thousands  of  thousands,  and 
finally  of  the  multitudes  and  multitudes  which  no 
man  can  number,  gathered  from  every  people  and 
kindred  and  tongue  and  nation,  all  singing, ''  Wor- 
thy is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power 
and  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength  and  honor 
and  glory  and  blessing."  Truly  the  pathway  of 
the  Christian  Church,  as  traced  through  the  Gos- 
pel and  Apocalypse  of  John,  the  beloved  disciple, 
the  leader  of  these  five  in  discipleship,  is  a  pathway 
of  light  and  triumph  which  leads  to  perfection  and 
eternal  glory.  We  cannot  but  praise  God  that  we 
are  part  of  the  Christian  Church  which  is  sweeping 
up  the  steeps  of  light  to  its  heavenly  destiny.  But 
let  us  not  give  way  to  rapture.  Let  us  not  forget 
that  our  study  is  the  first  chapter  of  John's  Gospel, 
not  the  last  chapter  of  John's  Apocalypse. 

In  this  chapter  we  are  told  that  five  disciples 
followed  Christ,  and  they  were  his  first  disciples, 
the  foundation  of  the  Christian  Church.  It  is  with 
these  five  disciples,  with  Jesus  in  their  midst,  that 
we  wish  to  deal.  In  spending  our  time  with  them 
the  chief  thing  we  wish  to  reach  is  this :  the  differ- 
ent ways  in  which  they  were  brought  to  Christ. 


THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES.  29 

When  we  see  these  different  ways  we  shall  see  the 
different  avenues  that  are  opened  to  us  on  every 
hand  for  effective  work  for  Chrst,  and  the  many 
agencies  that  can  be  wheeled  into  gospel  seryice 
and  the  varied  lines  upon  which  the  multitudes 
may  come  to  Christ. 

There  are  twelve  gates  opening  into  the  heav- 
enly city,  and  these  gates  evenly  face  all  points  of 
the  compass  and  make  it  possible  that  men  may 
come  from  the  east  and  the  west,  the  north  and 
the  south,  and  sit  down  with  Abraham  and  Isaac 
and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

But  let  us  take  up  the  story  of  the  five. 

I.  TJie  first  and  second  disciples  were  won  to  Christ 
by  the  ministry  of  John  the  Baptist.  They  were  con- 
verted by  a  sermon. 

The  true  sermon  is  a  converting  power.  It  is 
a  God- ordained  agency  for  swaying  the  souls  of 
men  and  centring  them  in  Christ.  Does  God  use 
the  sermon  in  converting  men,  then  let  us  expect 
and  look  for  returns  from  every  gospel  sermon 
that  issues  from  the  pulpit.  Let  us  make  the  ser- 
mon strong  by  our  prayer  and  by  our  desire  and 
by  our  faith.  The  sermon  should  not  be  consid- 
ered the  product  of  one  man  ;  in  the  pulpit  at  least 
it  should  never  be  allowed  to  go  out  among  souls 
as  a  mere  one-man  power ;  it  should  be  sent  out 
among  immortal  souls  to  work  for  Christ  filled 
with  all  the  power  of  the  assembled  congregation. 

I  need  not  spend  time  in  lauding  John  the  Bap- 
tist, the  minister  who  won  the  first  converts  to 
Christ.     He  was  a  man  who  hid  himself  behind 


30  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

Christ.  Christ  was  seen,  not  John  the  Baptist. 
He  was  a  man  who  preached  Christ  and  not  self. 
This  made  him  a  man  of  electric  power.  The 
substance  of  his  sermon  which  won  the  first  con- 
verts to  Jesus  is  given  here  in  one  little  sentence. 
That  sentence  is  this,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world!"  The 
Baptist  was  the  son  of  a  priest,  and  he  preached 
Christ  as  the  anti-type  of  the  lamb  offered  in 
daily  sacrifice.  Everybody  understood  the  meta- 
phor. He  preached  the  cross.  It  was  in  his  min- 
istry as  it  was  in  Paul's :  Christ  crucified  was  the 
power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  to  every  one 
that  believeth.  It  is  the  cross  that  convicts  men 
of  sin.  It  is  the  cross  that  gives  men  a  melting 
exhibition  of  the  infinite  love  of  God.  It  is  the 
sermon  with  the  cross  in  it  that  is  the  soul-con- 
verting sermon.  Thus  it  was  in  the  beginning, 
and  shall  ever  continue  to  be.  Men  to-day  elimi- 
nate the  sacrificial  death  of  Christ  from  their 
preaching  and  then  wonder  why  souls  are  not  con- 
verted. It  would  be  a  wonder  if  souls  were  con- 
verted. 

But  who  were  these  two  disciples  converted  to 
Christ  by  the  sermon  of  the  Baptist  ?  They  were 
John,  the  disciple  of  love,  and  Andrev/.  John,  the 
embodiment  of  love,  leads  the  world  in  the  rally 
around  Christ,  and  it  is  fitting  that  he  should.  It 
is  fitting  that  love  should  have  the  preeminence. 
It  is  fitting  that  he  who  is  last  at  the  cross  with 
Christ  should  be  first  with  Christ  on  the  banks  of 
the  Jordan,  should  feel  the  power  of  the  first  gos- 


THE   FIRST   DISCIPLES.  3I 

pel  sermon,  and  should  witness  the  first  evidence 
of  Christ's  deity:  the  cleft  sky,  the  descending 
dove,  and  the  voice  of  the  Father,  "This  is  my 
beloved  Son  in  v/hom  I  am  well  pleased." 

There  is  one  fact  which  stands  out  in  great 
boldness  connected  with  the  conversion  of  John, 
the  first  disciple  of  Jesus  ;  it  is  a  fact  for  us  all.  It 
is  this,  namely,  The  first  views  which  a  Christian 
receives  of  Christ  are  the  views  that  abide  with  him 
and  control  him. 

John  saw  Christ  as  the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  and  this  view  of 
Christ  always  held  the  preeminence  in  his  life. 
Christ  the  sacrifice  for  sin  was  his  burning  vision. 
Read  his  Epistles,  in  which  he  breathes  his  inner 
self  and  in  which  he  speaks  out  his  deepest  con- 
victions. It  would  seem  as  though  he  could  speak 
of  nothing  else  but  the  blood  which  cleanseth  from 
all  sin  and  the  sacrificial  death  and  great  propitia- 
tion. Turn  to  the  Apocalypse,  and  there  you  find 
that  thirty  times  and  more  he  sets  Christ  forth  as 
"the  Lamb  of  God."  These  writings  were  the 
productions  of  his  old  age,  and  they  reveal  that 
his  first  views  of  Christ  were  the  views  that  lived 
with  him  and  that  controlled  his  thinking. 

This  same  fact,  illustrated  in  John,  is  illustrated 
in  Paul.  His  first  vision  of  Christ  gave  character  to 
his  after  life  and  faith.  On  the  way  to  Damascus 
two  things  were  burned  into  Paul's  consciousness, 
namely,  Christ's  deity  and  Christ's  oneness  with 
his  people.  The  glory-light  which  shone  around 
Paul  and  made  him  blind  was  the  insignia  of  deity, 


32  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  flashing  of  divine  glory  itself,  and  the  words  of 
Christ,  "  I  am  Jesus  .whom  thou  persecutest,"  were 
the  evidence  of  how  closely  united  Christ  is  to  his 
people.  He  is  so  closely  related  that  suffering 
inflicted  upon  them  is  treated  as  suffering  inflicted 
upon  him.  Now  these  two  facts  were  always  with 
Paul :  Christ  is  God ;  Christ  and  his  people  are 
one.  He  never  tired  proclaiming  and  illustrating 
these  two  facts.  It  was  he  who  coined  the  phrases 
concerning  Christ :  **  In  him  dwelleth  all  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Godhead  bodily ;"  and,  ''  He  was  the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person."  It  was  he  who  likened 
Christ  to  the  head  and  the  church  to  the  body. 
Thus  intimate  did  he  picture  the  oneness  between 
Christ  and  Christians.  Brethren,  it  is  well  that 
our  first  visions  of  Christ  do  sway  our  after-life, 
and  it  is  well  that  Christians  have  different  views 
of  Christ.  The  result  is  good.  Each  Christian 
emphasizes  and  holds  aloft  some  special  truth  and 
fact,  and  when  all  are  added  together  we  have  in 
Christians  themselves  the  sum  of  all  truth  and  the 
practical  exhibition  of  all  truth. 

2.  T/ie  third  disciple  was  won  to  Christ  by  family 
infiuence. 

The  third  disciple  was  Simon  Peter.  He  was 
brought  to  Christ  by  his  brother  Andrew.  An- 
drew made  it  his  business  to  go  after  him  and  tell 
him  his  Christian  experience  and  invite  him  to 
Christ.  Peter  was  Andrew's  gift  to  the  church, 
and  the  gift  was  a  magnificent  one.  It  was  worth 
living  a  lifetime  to  bring  Peter  to  Christ.      His 


THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES.  33 

conversion  meant  the  day  of  Pentecost  with  its 
sermon  which  converted  three  thousand.  It  meant 
the  heroic  protest  before  the  Council  which  re- 
vealed to  the  rulers  of  the  land  that  the  spirit  of 
Christ  had  perpetuated  itself  in  the  souls  of  his 
disciples.  It  meant  the  conversion  of  Cornelius 
and  the  fearless  opening  of  the  gates  of  the 
church  to  the  incoming  of  the  vast  Gentile  world. 
It  meant  also  two  precious  epistles  which  are  cas- 
kets full  of  spiritual  gems. 

Andrew's  biography  teaches  us  that  we  may 
live  in  the  greatness  of  others ;  for  think  you  not 
that  God  will  reckon  unto  him  part  of  Pentecost 
and  part  of  the  glory  of  the  incoming  of  the  Gen- 
tiles ?  He  brought  Peter :  will  not  God  give  him 
a  share  in  Peter's  reward  ?  Naomi  lives  in  Ruth, 
and  shares  her  happiness.  Monica  lives  in  Augus- 
tine, and  shares  part  of  the  fame  of  her  illustrious 
son.  Do  you  not  believe  that  that  unknown  monk 
who  in  the  German  cloister  laid  his  hand  on  Mar- 
tin Luther's  shoulder  and  pointed  him  to  the  un- 
known Bible,  will  have  some  part  of  the  reward 
of  that  herald  of  the  open  page  in  the  day  when 
God  rewards  according  to  our  deeds  ?  Do  you  not 
believe  that  Susannah  Wesley  —  herself  not  a 
singer,  herself  not  a  preacher  —  who  taught  the 
young  Charles  his  song  and  the  young  John  his 
message,  will  receive  at  the  hands  of  God  in  the 
day  of  days  according  to  the  mighty  working  of 
Methodism  in  its  stupendous  and  glorious  march  ? 
Do  you  not  believe  that  that  unheralded  and  al- 
most forgotten  preacher  who  leaned  over  his  desk 

StudU'B   in    Johns   Gospel.  2* 


34  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

and  shot  his  loving  message  into  the  listening  ears 
of  young  Charles  Spurgeon  will  have  some  part 
in  the  great  reward  which  the  mightiest  English- 
man of  our  age  shall  certainly  receive  ?  God  be 
praised,  the  reward  which  comes  to  us  for  the 
good  that  we  do  counts  up  like  compound 
interest. 

The  biography  of  Andrew  teaches  us  that  rela- 
tionship affords  us  a  sphere  for  Christian  work, 
and  imposes  upon  us  the  responsibility  for  the  sal- 
vation of  our  kindred,  that  is,  in  so  far  as  the  sal- 
vation of  the  soul  can  repose  upon  man.  When 
Andrew  found  Christ  for  himself,  there  was  a 
voice  within  which  said,  "  Vou  must  find  Peter  and 
bring  him  to  Ch7'ist.'"  There  is  a  voice  within  you 
which  says,  "  You  must  find  your  kindred  and  bring 
them  to  Christy  No  man  should  be  before  you  in 
the  ministry  of  the  gospel  to  your  own  home. 
There  is  no  reason  why  faith  should  not  have  a  suc- 
cession in  the  family  just  as  surely  as  unbelief  has. 
It  will  if  we  are  true  to  our  Christian  faith  in  our 
family  life.  Be  a  Jochebed,  and  your  son  will  be 
a  Moses.  Be  a  Naomi,  and  your  daughter-in-law 
will  be  a  Ruth.  Be  a  Lois,  and  your  grandson 
will  be  a  Timothy.  Be  an  Andrew,  and  your 
brother  will  be  a  Peter. 

We  found  a  special  fact  in  the  conversion  of 
John ;  is  there  not  also  a  special  fact  in  the  con- 
version of  Peter?  Yes;  it  is  this:  When  we  find 
Christ  Jie  sets  before  us  our  defects  and  also  our  possi- 
bilities. 

The  story  here  tells  us  that  when  Christ  first 


THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES.  35 

met  Peter,  he  changed  his  name;  and  in  this  new 
name  he  both  set  before  him  that  in  which  he  was 
lacking  and  that  which  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
attain.  These  are  the  words  of  Christ:  "When 
Jesus  beheld  him  he  said,  Thou  art  Simon  the  son 
of  Jonas :  thou  shalt  be  called  Cephas,  i.  e.,  Peter, 
which  by  interpretation  means  a  stone  or  rock." 
The  rock  is  the  emblem  of  firmness.  This  virtue 
Peter  lacked.  He  was  a  man  of  courage,  but  he 
needed  firmness  to  give  his  courage  constancy. 
At  the  very  first  meeting  Christ  held  up  to  him  his 
defect.  Thus  it  is.  When  souls  come  to  Christ 
he  makes  them  feel  their  missing  qualities  and 
lacking  attributes.  In  his  presence  their  empti- 
ness is  set  off  by  his  fulness.  But  not  only  did 
Christ  reveal  Peter's  defects ;  by  the  name  which 
he  gave  him  he  set  before  him  the  type  of  char- 
acter which  he,  under  discipline  and  culture,  could 
reach.  By  the  new  name  which  he  gave  him  he 
told  him  that  he  could  become  a  pillar  in  the 
temple  of  God.     Such  a  pillar  he  did  become. 

Christ  was  not  mistaken  in  him.  He  saw  his 
future.  He  saw  the  attributes  which  would  mark 
his  after  days :  swift  decisiveness,  fire  and  manli- 
ness, courage  and  firmness.  We  learn  from  Peter 
that  our  Christian  life  has  its  hereafter.  We  climb 
up  to  higher  things  upon  our  own  experiences. 
We  climb  up  and  up  and  still  up,  until  at  last  we 
reach  complete  likeness  to  Christ  himself.  Christ 
holds  our  perfection  in  himself,  just  as  the  tree 
holds  the  perfection  of  the  spring  bud  on  its  way 
to  fruit.     John  and  Andrew  and  Peter  and  Philip. 


36  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S  GOSPEL. 

and  Bartholomew  are  now  the  perfect  and  trans- 
figured image  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  shall  be  the 
same  when  we  join  them  in  their  heaven-life. 

3,  The  fourth  disciple  was  won  to  Christ  by 
Christ's  own  personal  agency. 

The  fourth  disciple  was  Philip.  Christ  himself 
went  after  Philip.  He  knew  where  he  was,  and 
he  had  a  mission  for  him.  No  details  are  given 
of  his  conversion ;  all  that  we  are  told  is  this : 
Christ  said  to  him,  "  Follow  me !"  By  two  little 
words  he  changed  his  career  and  set  before  him 
his  future  Christian  life.  The  Christian  life  con- 
sists in  following  Christ,  and  this  is  what  Christ 
told  Philip.  The  Christian  should  follow  Christ 
in  deeds  and  in  graces  and  in  sacrifices.  The 
Christian  should  reproduce  Christ's  example  and 
re-incarnate  Christ's  life. 

4.  The  fifth  disciple  was  brought  to  Christ  by  the 
efforts  of  a  converted  neighbor. 

The  fifth  disciple  was  Nathanael,  whom  Bible 
critics  identify  with  Bartholomew  the  apostle. 
Philip  was  a  neighbor  of  Nathanael,  and  he  went 
to  him  and  told  him  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Mes- 
siah found.  His  address  throws  light  upon  the 
blanks  in  this  history.  For  example,  we  are  not 
told  the  things  which  Jesus  taught  his  disciples 
while  he  first  associated  with  them ;  not  a  word  of 
his  discourses  is  recorded  ;  but  here,  in  the  convic- 
tion of  Philip,  which  he  expresses  to  Nathanael, 
we  have  the  fruit  of  these  discourses.  The  fruit 
reveals  the  seed.  The  harvest  declares  the  sow- 
ing.   It  was  Philip's  conviction  that  in  Jesus  of 


THE  FIRST  DISCIPLES.  3/ 

Nazareth  he  had  found  the  Messiah  of  whom 
Moses  in  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  did  write. 
Christ,  therefore,  must  have  opened  unto  his  first 
disciples  the  Law  of  Moses  and  the  writings  of  the 
prophets. 

The  story  of  Philip  struck  the  prejudices  of  Na- 
thanael,  and  he  asked  with  incredulity,  "  Can  any 
good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?"  Philip  spent 
no  time  arguing  with  him.  He  was  a  man  of  few 
words  and  he  appealed  to  experience.  Talkative 
men  are  not  the  men  who  make  the  most  converts. 
Talkative  men  in  the  church  are  not  the  men  who 
do  the  most  work.  Philip's  answer  to  prejudice 
was,  "  Come  and  see,"  i.  e.,  test  things  by  experience. 
You  cannot  out-argue  prejudice.  Facts — these  are 
the  only  things  that  can  master  prejudice.  These 
Christianity  has,  and  it  unrolls  them  before  every 
honest  Nathanael. 

When  Nathanael  came  to  test  the  Messianic 
claims  of  Jesus,  Jesus  at  once  established  his 
claims  to  the  man's  satisfaction.  He  read  his 
thoughts  for  him ;  he  exercised  before  him  the 
attributes  of  deity,  and  the  result  was  the  quick 
response  of  Nathanael's  faith  which  uttered  itself 
in  these  words,  ''Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of  God ; 
thou  art  the  King  of  Israeli  The  character  of  Na- 
thanael is  an  exceptionally  fine  one.  His  conver- 
sion was  quick,  because  he  was  very  near  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  because  he  was  in  search  of 
Christ.  He  was  the  highest  type  of  an  Israelite, 
and  Jesus  saw  in  him  a  beautiful  embodiment  of 
the  Hebrev/  religion.    He  called  him  an  Israelite 


38  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

in  whom  there  was  no  guile.  He  was  the  fif- 
teenth Psalm  in  flesh  and  blood,  singing  itself  in 
the  every-day  deeds  of  a  holy  life. 

As  we  found  special  points  in  the  story  of  the 
conversion  of  John  and  of  Peter,  we  find  also  a 
special  point  in  the  story  of  the  conversion  of 
Nathanael.  It  is  this:  CJiristianity  will  bear 
testing. 

The  Christian  religion  courts  investigation :  it 
is  constantly  throwing  out  the  challenge,  "  Come 
and  see."  Christ  framed  this  challenge  the  very 
first  day  he  started  upon  his  public  career  and  the 
very  first  time  he  met  with  inquirers.  Before  he 
ever  accepted  the  faith  of  a  human  soul,  he  said, 
''  Come  and  see."  What  could  be  fairer  than  this  ? 
Christ  does  not  want  a  blind  trust,  he  wants  an  in- 
telligent faith.  He  says  to  every  man,  ''  Test  me." 
He  asks  the  human  race  to  scrutinize  his  character 
and  his  life.  He  submits  his  deity  and  his  love  to 
examination.  He  submits  his  religion  with  its 
fruits  to  a  practical  test.  Come  and  see  a  dying 
world  revived,  a  decrepit  world  regenerated. 
Come  and  see  tenderness  brought  to  the  cell  of  the 
imprisoned  felon  and  liberty  to  fettered  slaves. 
Come  and  see  the  ignorant  educated  and  the  poor 
vested  with  civil  liberty.  Come  and  see  great 
nations  lifted  from  barbarism  into  the  highest 
civilization.  Come  and  see  hospitals  and  orphan- 
ages rising  in  their  permanent  mercy  beside  the 
crumbling  ruins  of  colossal  amphitheatres-  that 
once  reeked  with  human  blood.  Come  and  see  dens 
of  lust  and  tyranny  transformed   into  sweet  and 


THE   FIRST   DISCIPLES.  39 

happy  homes.  Come  and  see  Christ  glorified  in 
the  world.  And  how  is  Christ  glorified  ?  He  is 
glorified  as  the  sun  in  the  sky  is  glorified.  The 
sun  is  glorified  by  being  allowed  to  shine  in  its 
true  strength.  Sweep  the  clouds  from  the  mighty 
vault  and  let  the  sun  shine  in  its  strength  !  Let  its 
glinting  shafts  shoot  through  the  wide  world.  Let 
them  sparkle  in  the  dewdrop  and  burn  and  glow 
in  the  beautiful  colors  of  the  flowers.  Christ  is 
glorified  in  the  outcome  of  his  life  in  our  civiliza- 
tion and  in  his  re  -  incarnation  in  his  church. 
Come  and  see  him  in  these.  Come  and  see  the 
magnificent  acts  in  the  one  great  drama  continued 
through  nineteen  long  centuries,  all  reproducing 
Christ  in  life,  and  establishing  his  truth  and  his 
love  and  his  type  of  manhood.  Come  and  see ! 
This  is  the  call  which  all  of  God's  people  are  com- 
missioned to  sound  out  the  universe  over.  And 
he  who  listens  to  the  call,  and  like  Nathanael 
draws  near  to  Christ  and  Christianity  with  pure 
and  candid  motives,  will  with  Nathanael  lift  up 
his  voice  and  cry,  "  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of 
God ;  thou  art  the  King  of  Israel !" 

DEDUCTIONS. 

I.  Comparing  the  present  progress  of  the  Christian 
Church  with  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Churchy 
there  is  great  ground  for  hopefulness. 

Out  of  five  have  grown  the  teeming  multitudes 
of  to-day.  Five  men  in  the  open  air,  five  men 
with  empty  hands,  five  men  with  low  ideals,  five 
men  without  any  culture,  five  men  in  need  of  years 


40  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

of  discipline,  five  men  with  carnal  views  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  —  such  was  the  beginning, 
such  the  opening  of  the  first  century.  But  com- 
pare the  first  century  with  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  nineteenth  century  has  vast  cathedrals  thrown 
up  into  the  air  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  magnificent 
temples  filled  with  the  worshippers  of  Jesus,  na- 
tions Christianized  by  the  power  of  Jesus,  institu- 
tions by  the  thousand  the  embodiment  of  the  love 
and  thoughtfulness  of  Jesus,  a  second  divine 
Book,  the  New  Testament,  full  of  the  biography  of 
Jesus,  an  expurgated  theology,  full  of  clear  views 
concerning  the  spirituality  of  the  kingdom  of  Je- 
sus. To-day  the  sun  never  sets  upon  the  kingdom 
of  Jesus.  Christ  in  a  large  degree  commands  the 
intellect  of  the  world  and  the  wealth  of  the  world 
and  the  power  of  the  world ;  and  yet  the  predic- 
tions concerning  the  church  are  only  before  us  in 
the  form  of  a  spring  bud.  The  full-bloomed  flower 
is  a  thing  of  the  future.  How  glorious  the  Chris- 
tian Church  will  be  when  the  flower  is  in  full 
bloom !  The  present  grandeur  of  Christianity  is 
only  the  hiding  of  its  inherent  glory.  Its  present 
grandeur  is  in  the  world  of  religion  what  the  rain- 
bow is  in  the  world  of  God's  beauty.  Half  of  the 
truths  of  Christianity  have  not  been  worked  out 
into  life  and  made  practical  and  effective  in  the 
world. 

Christianity  as  a  revelation  may  be  called  com- 
plete ;  but  Christianity  as  an  applied  force  is  only 
in  the  beginning  of  its  career.  There  is  a  millen- 
nial glory  about  which  the  church  in  practical  life 


THE   FIRST   DISCIPLES.  4I 

has  not  yet  begun  to  dream.  There  are  crowns 
and  crowns  in  store  for  the  head  of  Christ.  There 
is  a  sweep  for  his  sceptre  in  the  future  that  will 
encircle  a  thousand  times  over  the  present  sweep 
of  that  sceptre.  There  are  anthems  to  be  sung 
that  never  have  been  sung.  His  own  prediction 
still  awaits  its  complete  fulfilment :  "  I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me."  There  is 
wide  ground  for  a  grand  play  of  hopefulness  with 
regard  to  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

2.   There  are  many  ways  to  Christ, 

There  is  only  one  way  to  eternal  life,  and 
Christ  is  that  one  way :  but  there  are  many  ways 
to  Christ.  Some  come  to  Christ  through  a  sermon, 
like  the  two  disciples  of  the  Baptist,  John  and 
Andrew.  Some  come  through  the  influence  of 
the  home-life,  like  Peter.  Some  are  found  directly 
by  Christ  himself,  like  Philip.  Paul  also  came  in 
this  way.  I  might  also  say  that  Luther  came  in 
this  way.  He  was  first  made  serious  by  the  stri- 
king down  of  his  companion  at  his  side  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  by  a  bolt  of  lightning.  That 
startling  moment  was  the  turning-point  in  Lu- 
ther's life.  Christ  often  speaks  in  some  startling 
providence  to  the  unconverted  soul,  and  brings  it 
to  salvation  by  his  own  personal  finding.  Some 
come  through  the  missionary  work  of  their  neigh- 
bor, like  Nathanael.  Search  the  experience  of 
Christians,  and  you  will  find  that  men  are  brought 
to  Christ  in  an  almost  inconceivable  variety  of 
ways.  One  says,  "A  text  of  Scripture  found  me." 
Another  says,  ''  A   death-bed  scene  found   me." 


42  STUDIES   IN    JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

Another,  "  I  was  reached  by  a  prayer."  Another, 
"  I  was  impressed  by  the  holy  character  of  my 
mother."  Another,  "  I  was  converted  by  a  ser- 
mon." The  ways  to  Christ  are  as  diverse  as  the 
different  dispositions  of  men,  and  so  earnest  is  God 
in  love  for  the  salvation  of  men.  This  is  a  com- 
forting fact.  It  teaches  ns  that  if  we  are  seeking 
Christ  we  shall  find  him.  It  teaches  us  not  to 
worry  because  our  experiences  do  not  tally  with 
those  of  our  Christian  brother.  You  had  not  the 
experience  he  had  in  coming  to  Christ:  but  no 
matter.  Do  not  imagine  therefore  that  you  have 
not  reached  Christ.  You  are  a  different  man. 
True,  you  were  not  converted  as  Paul  was,  but 
that  does  not  prove  that  you  have  not  been  con- 
verted. You  are  not  to  fit  yourself  to  Paul's 
method  of  conversion,  you  have  only  to  fit  your- 
self to  the  spirit  of  Paul's  Christian  life:  if  you 
have  that,  no  matter  how  you  got  it.  If  you  love 
Christ  as  he  loved  Christ,  then  it  is  an  absolute 
certainty  that  you  have  found  Christ  and  have 
been  found  of  Christ.  If  you  are  living  the  Chris- 
tian life,  that  is  enough  :  that  should  fill  you  with 
assurance  and  peace. 

3.  When  a  man  responds  to  the  call  of  Christian 
friends  and  comes  to  fesuSy  he  responds  to  the  call  of 
Jesus  himself. 

Peter  made  no  mistake  in  hearkening  to  An- 
drew :  for  Christ  himself  was  with  Andrew  seek- 
ing him.  This  Scripture  says  to  every  soul, 
**  Yield  to  the  persuasion  of  your  godly  friends." 


THE   FIRST   MIRACLE. 


43 


THE   FIRST  MIRACLE,  OR  THE  WED- 
DING  AT  CANA. 

"  This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee, 

AND    manifested    FORTH    HIS   GLORY;   AND    HIS    DISCIPLES   BE- 
LIEVED  ON   HIM."— /o/iW  2:  II. 

John  closes  his  narrative  of  the  first  miracle 
with  this  retrospective  reraark :  "  This  beginning 
of  signs  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  mani- 
fested forth  his  glory;  and  his  disciples  believed 
on  him."  The  right  way  to  study  the  miracle  is 
to  begin  with  this  retrospective  remark.  It  helps 
us  to  a  proper  conception  of  its  fulness,  signifi- 
cance, and  worth.  John  was  an  old  man  when 
he  looked  back  upon  the  scenes  of  Cana  and  when 
he  made  this  remark.  It  is  therefore  an  inspired 
commentary  upon  the  miracle.  It  is  a  testimony 
to  its  worth.     It  is  a  history  of  its  infiuence. 

(a.)  It  teaches  that  tJie  miracle  revealed  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  and  thus  confirmed  the  faith  of  the  new- 
made  disciples. 

When  the  heavens  are  covered  with  clouds  on 
a  murky  day,  sometimes  there  is  a  rift  in  the 
clouds  which  lets  through  a  momentary  flash  of 
the  sunshine.  That  flash  tells  that  the  sun  still 
exists  in  his  glory  back  of  the  vapory  veil.  This 
miracle  in  Cana  was  like  such  a  sunburst.  It  was 
the  out-flashing  of  the  divinity  which  dwelt  in  ful- 
ness in  the   unpretending  form  of  Jesus   Christ. 


44  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

Divinity  was  within  him.  It  was  only  veiled  by 
the  veil  of  flesh.  It  flashed  out  now  in  the  form 
of  a  deed,  just  as  in  after  time  on  the  mountain  of 
the  Transfiguration  it  flashed  out  in  the  form  of 
luminous  splendor,  which  irradiated  his  humanity 
until  his  face  did  shine  as  the  sun  and  his  raiment 
was  as  white  as  the  light.  The  miracle  had  an 
evidential  value.  Says  the  evangelist,  "  It  mani- 
fested his  glory."  His  divinity  had  always  been 
a  fact.  For  the  past  thirty  years  deity  was  in- 
folded by  his  humanity.  It  simply  let  itself  be 
seen  in  this  miracle,  so  that  men  might  know  it 
was  there.  An  act  was  chosen  which  divine 
power  only  could  perform  and  which  no  one  could 
dispute,  so  that  men  might  be  led  to  see  that  the 
whole  of  Christ's  life  was  divine.  If  he  who 
turned  water  into  wine  was  divine,  then  he  who 
wept  over  Jerusalem  was  divine.  The  actor  in 
both  instances  was  the  same  person.  If  we  see 
God  in  the  power  of  Jesus,  then  we  see  God  in  the 
compassion  of  Jesus.  If  as  a  divine  person  Jesus 
teaches  us  how  God  works,  then  as  a  divine  person 
Jesus  teaches  us  how  God  thinks  and  forgives  and 
loves.  If  Jesus  Christ  be  divine  in  Cana  of  Gali- 
lee, he  is  divine  in  Nazareth  and  in  Bethlehem 
and  in  Jerusalem  and  on  Calvary.  He  is  divine 
everywhere ;  for  divinity  is  not  a  thing  to  be  put 
on  and  off  for  occasions.  For  illustration  the  di- 
vinity of  Christ  has  been  likened  to  electricity  and 
his  miracles  to  lightning -bolts.  Lightning-bolts 
only  manifest  the  electric  force  which  is  every- 
where, and  which  in  these  bolts  becomes  visible 


THE   FIRST   MIRACLE.  45 

for  a  moment.  The  electric  force  is  made  visible 
in  a  thunder-bolt  that  we  may  be  convinced  of  its 
existence,  and  may  be  led  to  believe  that  it  slum- 
bers invisibly  in  the  dewdrop  and  in  the  mist  and 
in  the  cloud.  Christ's  divinity  shows  itself  in  the 
miracles  of  his  life,  that  we  may  know  his  divinity 
and  believe  him  to  be  divine  in  everything  he 
does.  John,  in  the  opening  of  his  Gospel,  had 
spoken  of  Jesus  as  full  of  God's  glory,  and  he  now 
relates  this  miracle  as  the  proof  of  his  assertion : 
"  We  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only-be- 
gotten of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth." 

(b.)  It  teaches  that  the  miracle  stood  in  the  fore- 
front of  Chrisfs  ministry  as  a  symbol  or  sign. 

The  miracle  was  a  talking  act.  It  was  a  pic- 
torial incident.  It  was  a  teaching  symbol.  This 
was  the  character  of  all  the  miracles.  The  mira- 
cles of  Jesus  not  only  relieved  the  wants  of  those 
for  whom  they  were  wrought;  they  expressed 
great  truths,  and  thus  instructed  the  world.  You 
could  take  the  miracles  of  Jesus  and  with  them 
build  up  a  system  of  theology  in  the  form  of  acted 
symbols.  Christ  acted  out,  in  the  miracles  which 
he  wrought,  the  only  theology  worth  possessing 
or  worth  systematizing.  In  changing  water  into 
wine,  by  a  creative  act  of  his  will,  Christ  lifted 
water  into  a  higher  form  of  existence.  He  en- 
nobled it.  Was  this  the  true  sign  and  symbol  of 
his  mission  on  earth  ?  If  so,  then  the  purport  of 
the  ministry  of  Christ  on  earth  is  to  ennoble  and 
to  elevate  humanity.  He  degrades  nothing;  he 
ennobles  all.     He  makes  the   common  precious; 


46  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

he  makes  the  secular  sacred.  He  fills  the  world 
with  joy  and  peace.  He  makes  holy  every  rela- 
tion of  man.  He  puts  his  blessing  upon  all  con- 
secrated human  fellowships. 

(c.)  //  tcacJics  us  that  there  is  a  development^  a 
growth,  in  the  miracles  of  our  Lord. 

The  miracle  at  Cana  was  only  the  beginning. 
Others  followed.  There  was  a  growth  in  the  mira- 
cles of  Christ,  a  growth  in  degree  of  supernatural 
power  and  in  range  of  influence.  The  study  of 
the  miracles  is  like  the  ascent  of  mountains,  a  go- 
ing from  higher  to  higher  peaks.  In  our  last 
study  we  found  that  the  pathway  of  the  church 
of  Christ,  from  the  first  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of 
John  to  the  last  chapter  of  the  Apocalypse  of  John, 
was  one  of  light  and  growth.  The  history  of  the 
growth  of  the  church  of  Christ  is  paralleled  by 
the  history  of  the  growth  of  the  miracles  of  Christ. 
The  increase  in  the  number  of  Christ's  disciples 
is  paralleled  and  matched  by  the  turning  of 
water  into  wine,  by  the  mastery  of  the  winds  and 
waves  and  the  control  of  the  gigantic  forces  of 
nature,  by  the  healing  of  the  sick,  by  the  giving 
of  sight  to  the  blind  and  hearing  to  the  deaf,  by 
the  cleansing  of  the  leper,  and  by  the  culminating 
miracle  of  all,  the  raising  of  Lazarus  from  the 
dead.  There  is  a  matchless  growth  in  the  mani- 
festation of  the  glory  of  Christ  the  miracle-worker. 
As  we  pass  through  the  writings  of  John  from 
the  beginning,  there  is  a  vast  stretch  between  the 
first  out-shining  of  Christ's  divinity  at  Cana  and 
the  full  and  perfect  out -shining  of  his  divinity 


THE   FIRST   MIRACLE.  4/ 

which  finally  lights  up  heaven.  The  progress  of 
the  glory  of  the  church  is  more  than  matched  by 
the  progress  of  the  glory  of  Christ.  And  this  the 
pen  of  John  sets  forth. 

To  give  order  to  our  thoughts,  we  will  study 
the  narrative  of  the  miracle  and  emphasize  some 
deductions  drawn  therefrom. 

I.      THE  NARRATIVE  OF  THE  MIRACLE. 

The  narrative  introduces  Christ  as  acting  out 
his  own  divine  nature  and  revealing  who  he  is. 
Up  to  this  point  his  •  divine  character  had  been 
attested  chiefly  by  supernatural  displays  from 
heaven,  such  as  the  shechinah  light  which  lit  up 
the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  the  heavenly  anthem 
sung  by  the  hymning  band  of  angels,  the  strange 
and  mystic  star,  the  prophetic  visions,  the  cleft 
sky  over  the  baptismal  water,  and  the  audible 
voice  of  God  sounding  down  the  heavenly  vault ; 
now,  by  a  deed  of  his  own,  he  proves  who  he  is. 
The  miracle  was  wrouo:ht  at  a  marriaofe  festival. 
Who  was  married  we  know  not.  From  the  way 
in  which  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  made  herself 
at  home,  and  put  herself  at  the  head  of  affairs,  it 
is  supposed  that  the  parties  were  related  to  Mary. 
Christ  was  invited  and  he  went.  By  this  act  he 
showed  that  the  keynote  of  his  religion  was  joy, 
and  declared  his  desire  to  companionate  with  men 
in  their  pleasures.  By  this  act  he  put  honor  upon 
marriage.  The  Jews  made  much  of  marriage. 
They  looked  upon  it  as  an  ordinance  of  God. 
They  taught  their  children  that  God  himself  pro- 


43  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

nounced  the  words  of  blessing  over  the  cup  at  the 
union  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  that  the  angel-choir 
sang  the  nuptial  songs  and  rang  the  wedding- 
bells,  and  that  Gabriel  and  Michael  acted  as 
groomsmen.  They  treated  marriage  as  an  Edenic 
blessing,  and  Jesus,  by  his  presence  at  the  mar- 
riage at  Cana  of  Galilee,  said  that  they  were  right. 
He  taught  that  it  was  the  duty  of  Christianity  to 
capture  and  purify  such  occasions  and  to  convert 
all  social  gatherings  and  feasts.  It  is  a  sin  to  give 
up  the  occasions  of  joy  to  the  world.  It  is  the  mis- 
sion of  Christians  to  capture  the  pleasures  of  life 
for  Christ.  Christians  should  go  to  the  wedding 
in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  they  should  be  the  ruling 
,  spirits  there.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  bring 
everything  into  the  subjection  of  Christ,  music, 
art,  pleasure,  all  that  pertains  to  a  man  and  all 
that  occupies  his  time. 

The  wine  at  the  wedding  feast  gave  out.  This 
is  the  point  of  the  story.  Why  it  gave  out  nobody 
knows.  The  fact,  however,  was  discovered  by 
Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus.  Travellers  tell  us  that 
to  Orientals,  exercising  hospitality,  such  a  lack  was 
looked  upon  as  a  great  mortification.  So  Mary 
looked  upon  it.  She  was  a  housekeeper  and 
deeply  sympathized  with  the  host.  Anxious  to 
shield  the  family  and  prevent  mortification,  she 
said  to  Jesus,  **  They  have  no  wine."  Her  remark 
was  a  woman's  hint.  Did  she  expect  Jesus  to 
come  to  the  relief?  The  narrative  can  mean 
nothing  else. 

We  are  anxious  to  see  how  Jesus  treats  her 


THE   FIRST   MIRACLE.  49 

request.  Does  he  do  what  she  wishes  ?  Yes.  But 
he  does  not  do  it  on  account  of  her  intercession, 
but  because  it  is  the  appointment  of  his  Father's 
will  and  a  part  of  the  divinely  pre-arranged  plan 
of  his  life.  Mary,  by  her  intercession,  can  get 
that  which  is  in  accordance  with  God's  will ;  but 
so  can  the  humblest  of  God's  children.  Mary  had 
no  prayer-power  beyond  that  which  we  have. 
The  reply  of  Jesus  is  contained  in  a  single  sen- 
tence :  "  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do  with  thee  ? 
mine  hour  is  not  yet  come."  The  reply  contains 
in  it  two  things,  instruction  and  correction.  The 
instruction  is  contained  in  the  words,  *'  Mine  hour 
is  not  yet  come."  This  places  the  miracle  on  the 
right  basis.  It  teaches  that  everything  in  Christ's 
life  was  ordered  by  the  Lord.  It  teaches  his  self- 
control.  There  was  no  haste  in  his  life.  There 
was  nothing  premature.  He  waited  "  thirty  years  " 
before  he  set  forth  his  grand  character,  because 
his  Father  said  so.  It  teaches  that  the  Father's 
will  was  the  only  authority  which  Jesus  recog- 
nized. The  correction  which  Jesus  administered 
is  contained  in  the  words,  "  What  have  I  to  do 
with  thee?"  Some  read  reproof  into  the  term 
which  Jesus  used  when  he  addressed  his  mother. 
He  called  her  "  Woman."  "  Woman,  what  have  I 
to  do  with  thee?"  This  is  not  correct.  The 
term  "woman"  is  not  a  harsh  term.  It  is  a  term 
which  recognizes  the  dignity  of  womankind.  It  is 
a  title  of  respect.  It  is  equivalent  to  the  term 
''lady."  That  is  a  title  of  rank  and  dignity. 
Christ  used  the  same  term  when  he  hung  upon 


50  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  cross  and  with  the  tenderest  of  love  remem- 
bered his  mother.  He  said  unto  his  mother, 
''  Woman,  behold  thy  son  !"  The  reproof  of  Christ 
is  contained  in  the  words,  ''  What  have  I  to  do 
with  thee  ?"  i.  e.,  "  Interfere  not.  In  my  Messianic 
work  you  have  no  voice.  I  am  no  longer  to  be 
known  as  the  son  of  Mary,  but  as  the  Son  of  God." 
This  reproof  was  a  kindness  to  Mary.  Since  she 
had  no  voice  in  the  Messianic  mission  of  Jesus, 
since  the  earth -view  of  the  maternal  relation 
must  be  dropped,  it  was  kindness  to  teach  and 
correct  and  guard  Mary  at  the  very  start.  Such  a 
course  was  not  only  a  kindness  to  Mary,  it  was  a 
kindness  to  the  Christian  Church,  in  that  it 
guarded  it  against  ascribing  fictitious  attributes 
and  mythical  powers  to  Mary.  In  the  very  begin- 
ning Christ  taught  that  Mariolatry  was  the  wor- 
ship of  a  fiction. 

Having  set  forth  the  will  and  appointment  of 
the  Father  as  the  basis  of  his  action,  Jesus 
wrought  his  miracle  ^nd  turned  v/ater  into  wine. 
By  a  miracle  he  saved  this  household  from  morti- 
fied feelings.  He  found  six  water-pots  standing 
in  the  court  of  the  house,  and  these  he  ordered 
the  servants  to  fill  with  water.  When  this  was 
done,  he  told  the  servants  to  draw  out  and  serve 
to  the  guests.  This  they  did,  and  to  their  amaze- 
ment found  that  the  water  had  become  wine.  In 
the  words  of  Dryden, 

"The  conscious  water  saw  its  God  and  blushed." 

The  change  was  accomplished  by  a  mere  act  of 
Christ's  will.    The  change  was  instantaneous,  and 


THE  FIRST  MIRACLE.  5 1 

this  was  the  miracle.  Usually  water  passes  into 
wine  by  a  slow  but  beautiful  process  of  nature.  It 
becomes  wine  by  means  of  the  vine  and  the  soil 
and  the  sunshine  and  the  seasons.  Jesus  per- 
formed it  by  an  instantaneous  act.  He  accele- 
rated the  process  of  nature.  He  dispensed  with 
the  vineyard,  and  yet  gave  only  what  the  vine- 
yard could  give.  By  this  act  he  proved  that  all 
creative  power  was  his,  and  that  he  was  the 
Creator  among  his  works.  By  this  act  he  proved 
his  identity  with  Him  who  works  in  every  vine- 
yard, and  builds  every  grape  in  every  cluster  into 
a  little  goblet  of  wine.  By  this  miracle  he  uttered 
in  deeds  what  John  in  the  first  chapter  of  this 
Gospel  uttered  in  words,  "All  things  were  made 
by  him  ;  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made 
that  was  made."  He  who  built  the  forests  of  Ore- 
gon and  the  giant  oaks  of  California,  he  who 
reared  the  cedars  on  Lebanon,  those  trees  of  God, 
he  who  grew  the  myriad  vines  in  the  vineyards 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine,  is  the  same  person 
whom  we  see  at  Cana  of  Galilee,  doing  in  the 
twinkle  of  an  eye  what  in  nature  he  does  through 
the  operations  of  the  seasons. 

Notice,  for  Christian  comfort,  two  character- 
istics of  Christ  which  appear  in  this  connection, 
(a.)  He  supplies  the  ivants  of  men  most  bountifully. 
He  not  only  gives  daily  bread,  he  gives  luxu- 
ries. He  fills  our  vessels  up  to  the  brim.  He  does 
everything  upon  the  scale  upon  which  he  makes 
his  offer  of  redemption  which  reads,  *'  Let  who- 
soever will  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."     Look 


52  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

at  his  promises !  They  are  as  plenty  as  sun-rays. 
There  is  a  sun-ray  for  every  leaflet  and  floweret. 
The  child  of  God,  if  he  takes  all  that  God  gives, 
has  to  sing,  "  My  cup  runneth  over." 

(b.)  He  sympathizes  with  the  smallest  wants  of 
men. 

Luxuries  are  the  smallest  of  our  wants.  We 
can  live  without  them.  No  one  in  Cana  would 
have  perished  if  Jesus  had  not  made  wine.  Now 
if  Christ  notices  and  supplies  our  smallest  wants, 
he  will  notice  and  supply  the  deeper  needs  of  life. 
This  is  true  logic.  It  is  perfectly  legitimate  to 
argue  up  and  to  argue  down,  to  rise  from  the 
lesser  to  the  greater,  and  to  descend  from  the 
greater  to  the  lesser.  We  have  both  methods  of 
reasoning  in  the  Bible.  Paul  argues  from  the 
greater  to  the  lesser.  He  says,  Since  God  has 
given  us  his  Son,  he  cannot  withhold  the  other 
needed  and  lesser  gifts.  Christ  argues  from  the 
lesser  to  the  greater.  He  says  that  if  earthly  fa- 
thers do  thus  and  so,  the  Heavenly  Father  must 
go  beyond  them  and  act  out  his  great  nature.  If 
a  father  took  pity  upon  the  little  scratch  on  his 
child's  finger,  he  would  certainly  look  after  a 
serious  wound  in  his  child's  heart.  If  God  looks 
after  the  ravens,  he  will  certainly  look  after  his 
own  children.  If  he  looks  after  the  very  hairs  on 
our  heads,  what  part  of  our  personality  will  he 
overlook  ? 

The  narrative  closes  with  the  testing  of  the 
miracle.  The  new-made  wine  was  carried  to  the 
governor  of  the  feast.     When  he    tasted  it,  he 


THE  FIRST  MIRACLE.  53 

called  the  bridegroom  and  said,  *'  Every  man  at 
the  beginning  doth  set  forth  good  wine  ;  and  when 
men  have  well  drunk,  then  that  which  is  worse ; 
but  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now."  The 
governor  unwittingly  contrasted  Christ  as  a  giver 
with  man  as  a  giver.  He  confirmed  Christ's  own 
words,  "  Not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto 
you."  The  world  gives  its  sweets  first  and  its 
dregs  afterwards.  As  in  the  case  of  the  Prodigal 
Son,  it  begins  with  plenty  of  money  and  music 
and  feasting,  but  it  ends  with  pauperism  and  the 
life  of  a  swine -keeper.  Christ  puts  the  bitter 
before  the  sweet.  The  order  of  his  gifts  is  first 
the  conviction  of  sin,  then  pardon  and  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding ;  first  the 
afHictions  which  are  not  joyous  but  grievous,  then 
the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  which  come 
through  afflictions ;  first  the  tribulations  of  earth, 
then  the  everlasting  joys  of  heaven  ;  first  the  mor- 
tal body  with  its  corruption  and  dishonor  and 
fleshliness,  then  the  immortal  body  with  its  incor- 
ruption  and  honor  and  spirituality.  The  gifts  of 
the  world  dwindle,  the  gifts  of.  Christ  develop. 
The  pathway  of  the  world's  gifts  is  from  groaning 
tables  to  husks,  the  pathway  of  Christ's  gifts  is 
from  husks  to  the  multifold  fruit  of  the  Tree  of 
Life. 

II.   DEDUCTIONS  FROM  THE  NARRATIVE. 

I .   TAe  Gospel  life  of  Christ  is  full  of  instructive 
forecasts. 

These  forecasts  are  warnings  against  coming 


54  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

evils.  Christ  anticipates  and  rebukes  sins  by 
means  of  them.  He  throws  them  up  as  guards 
around  the  Christian  Church. 

{a.)  There  is  a  strike  here  against  Mariolatry. 
Christ  never  countenanced  the  worship  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary.  He  lifted  up  barriers  against  it.  In 
this  narrative  we  have  the  first  of  the  repeated  re- 
bukes which  he  gave  by  anticipation  to  that  idola- 
trous reverence  which  has  carried  the  human  rela- 
tionship into  the  spiritual  kingdom,  carried  it  even 
into  heavenly  places,  exalting  Mary  as  the  Queen 
of  heaven. 

{b.)  There  is  a  strike  here  against  the  apocry- 
phal gospels  and  writings  concerning  Christ.  The 
apocryphal  writings  as  collected  and  published 
form  quite  a  book.  They  attempt  to  fill  up  the 
gaps  of  the  Bible  history  of  Jesus.  They  deal 
largely  with  the  infancy  and  childhood  of  Christ. 
They  give  the  world  a  tremendous  crop  of  mira- 
cles purporting  to  have  been  wrought  by  Christ 
during  his  infancy.  But  many  of  these  are  wholly 
un-Christlike.  They  read  on  this  order:  Some 
children  refuse  to  play  with  him,  and  as  a  punish- 
ment he  turns  them  into  kids.  Another  child  by 
accident  runs  against  him,  and  for  this  he  causes 
him  to  fall  down  and  expire.  He  has  a  dispute 
with  his  teacher  about  the  order  of  the  Hebrew 
alphabet  and  the  teacher  strikes  him  ;  for  this  he 
curses  the  teacher,  and  straightway  his  arm  with- 
ers and  he  falls  on  his  face  and  dies.  He  makes 
clay  animals  and  birds,  and  causes  them  to  fly  and 
walk  as  a  source  of  amusement.    The  miracles  of 


THE   FIRST   MIRACLE.  55 

the  apocryphal  gospels  are  mostly  of  this  order. 
They  are  either  idle  or  monstrous.  Foreseeing 
these  writings,  filled  with  the  superstitions  that 
had  grown  up  in  connection  with  the  name  of 
Jesus,  the  true  gospel  stamps  them  as  false  before 
they  appear.  It  does  this  by  means  of  one  sen- 
tence, "This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus  in 
Cana  of  Galilee."  It  says  that  there  were  no  mira- 
cles prior  to  this. 

2.  Our  Christian  characters  should  shine  out  in  our 
pleasures, 

Christ  never  intended  that  his  people  should 
be  anchorites,  living  in  the  cave  of  the  hermit. 
We  have  social  natures,  and  these  are  the  creation 
of  God.  We  must  have  pleasures.  It  is  our  duty 
to  have  them.  Christ  himself,  although  he  felt 
the  pressure  of  his  great  work  and  the  necessity 
of  economizing  his  moments,  went  to  a  wedding 
feast.  While  there  he  cast  no  chill  upon  the  fes- 
tivities. No  one  wished  that  he  had  stayed  at 
home.  The  Christian  religion  does  not  veto 
healthy  and  natural  delights.  It  vetoes  only  heat 
and  excess  and  exaggeration.  It  vetoes  only 
those  pleasures  which  are  a  reproach  to  manhood 
and  womanhood.  It  allows  us  all  pleasures  in 
which  Christ  can  join  us.  It  allows  us  such  pleas- 
ures as  those  in  which  the  Christian  character  can 
shine  out.  Christ  was  Christ  at  the  marriage  feast 
of  Cana,  and  when  Christians  go  to  such  scenes 
they  should  be  Christians. 

3.  The  exhibition  of  Christ' s  glory  increases  faith. 
Thus  it  was  when  he  showed  his  glory  at  Cana. 


56  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

It  is  written,  "  He  manifested  forth  liis  glory,  and 
his  disciples  believed  on  him."  Christ  does  not 
ask  us  to  believe  without  evidence.  He  is  contin- 
ually revealing  his  glory.  It  shines  out  from  this 
inspired  page.  While  his  glory  opens  to  us  more 
and  more  as  w^e  progress  in  cur  study  of  this  Gos- 
pel, we  should  be  able  to  feel  an  increase  in  the 
confirmation  and  growth  of  our  faith.  He  who 
w411  let  this  Gospel  into  his  soul  will  be  like  the 
apostle  who  wrote  it ;  he  will  be  an  intense  Chris- 
tian full  of  faith  and  love  and  devotion.  He  will 
be  a  John  among  the  disciples.  But  do  not  let  us 
suppose  that  the  manifestation  of  Christ's  glory  is 
confined  to  the  printed  Book.  We  v/ill  narrow 
our  possessions  if  we  do.  No,  Christ  is  continually 
showing  his  glory  outside  of  the  Book.  He  is 
showing  his  glory  to-day  in  the  wondrous  works 
which  he  is  doing  among  men.  We  see  it  in  his 
answers  to  prayer.  We  see  it  in  the  changes 
which  he  is  working  in  the  characters  of  men. 
We  see  it  in  the  grand  triumphs  of  his  cause. 
The  glory  of  Christ,  seen  outside  of  the  Book,  has 
in  it  a  power  to  strengthen  our  faith. 

4.  T/iere .  2s  a  poiucr  in  Christ  to  transform  and 
elevate  man. 

We  must  not  forget  that  the  miracle  is  a  sym- 
bol. The  lifting  of  water  from  a  low  grade  in 
nature  to  a  high  grade  in  nature  is  simply  an 
illustration.  He  who  has  power  to  elevate  water 
has  power  to  elevate  man.  Man  is  equal  to  the 
things  of  nature  in  his  capability  for  elevation.  Is 
this  saying  little  or  much  for  man  ?     Let  Ruskin. 


THE  FIRST   MIRACLE.  5/ 

answer  our  question  and  you  will  see  that  it  is 
saying  much.  In  his  *'  Modern  Painters  "  he  thus 
sets  forth  the  capability  of  the*  things  of  nature  to 
be  elevated.  He  takes  us  to  the  mud  or  slime  on 
the  street  of  a  manufacturing  town,  the  absolute 
type  of  impurity,  and  he  tells  us,  "  This  mud,  or 
slime,  is  composed  of  four  elements — clay,  mixed 
with  soot,  a  little  sand,  and  water.  These  four 
may  be  separated  each  from  the  other.  The  clay 
particles,  left  to  follow  their  own  instinct  of  unity, 
become  a  clear,  hard  substance,  so  set  that  it  can 
deal  with  light  in  a  wonderful  way,  and  gather 
out  of  it  the  loveliest  blue  rays  only,  refusing  the 
rest.  We  call  it  then  a  sapphire.  The  sand  ar- 
ranges itself  in  mysterious,  infinitely  fine  parallel 
lines,  which  reflect  the  blue,  green,  purple,  and 
red  rays  in  the  greatest  beauty.  We  call  it  then 
an  opal.  The  soot  becomes  the  hardest  thing  in 
the  world,  and,  for  the  blackness  it  had,  obtains 
the  power  of  reflecting  all  the  rays  of  the  sun  at 
once  in  the  vividest  blaze  that  any  solid  thing  can 
shoot.  We  call  it  then  a  diamond.  Last  of  all  the 
water  becomes  a  dew-drop,  or  a  crystalline  star  of 
snow."  Thus  Ruskin  sets  forth  in  his  own  grand 
style  the  possibility  of  the  things  of  nature  for 
elevation.  Now  man's  possibility  for  elevation  is 
not  one  whit  less  than  that  possessed  by  the 
things  of  nature,  even  when  these  things  of  na- 
ture are  wrought  upon  by  the  power  of  God.  Let 
Christ's  divine  power,  which  wrought  upon  the 
water  and  made  it  wine,  take  hold  of  the  vilest 
specimen  of  a  man,  and  it  can  transform  him  into 
3* 


58  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  perfect  likeness  of  Christ  himself.  It  can 
make  him  fit  to  dwell  in  the  uncreated  presence 
of  the  infinitely  gl6rious  and  holy  God.  It  can 
make  him  so  pure  and  upright  that  he  can  walk 
the  crystal  streets  of  the  celestial  city  without 
casting  the  least  shadow  upon  them.  It  can  so 
beautify  him  that  the  keen  omniscient  eye  cannot 
find  a  flaw  in  him.  It  has  done  this.  It  is  doing 
this  every  day.  Whatever  Christ's  power  touches 
it  ennobles  and  makes  Christlike.  This  moulding 
power  of  Christ  has  high  ideals,  and  into  these 
ideals  it  is  patterning  men.  Its  ideals  are  heav- 
enly. Its  ideals  are  God's  communicable  attri- 
butes, and  it  is  assimilating  men  into  conformity 
to  these.  Changing  water  into  wine  is  nothing  in 
comparison  with  this.  When  the  work  of  Christ's 
power  has  been  completed,  then  will  come  the 
marriage  supper  of  the  Lamb,  for  the  Church,  his 
bride,  will  be  fully  ready.  Happy  were  they  who 
were  at  the  wedding  in  Cana  of  Galilee :  "  But 
blessed  are  they  who  are  called  unto  the  marriage 
supper  of  the  Lamb." 


CHRIST  AND   NICODEMUS.  59 


CHRIST  AND  NICODEMUS ;  OR,  THE  DOC- 
TRINE OF  REGENERATION. 

Jesus  ANSWERED  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 

THEE,  except   A    MAN  BE    BORN    AGAIN,    HE    CANNOT    SEE    THE 

kingdom  OF  God. — John  2,'- Z- 

The  term  ''  regeneration  "  is  a  compound  Latin 
term  which  literally  means  ''to  be  born  again." 
Formerly  unbelieving  men  hated  this  term  and 
ridiculed  it.  They  said  that  it  was  fantastic  and 
visionary  and  expressed  an  absurdity.  To  be 
born  again  !  Nonsense  !  The  thing  is  contrary  to 
nature  and  unscientific.  Now  the  term  has  be- 
come quite  popular.  It  is  used  frequently  when 
men  wish  to  describe  a  complete  and  radical 
change  which  they  propose  to  effect.  Even  infi- 
del revolutionists  use  the  term.  When  they  talk 
of  the  revolution  which  they  intend  to  inaugurate, 
this  is  a  favorite  expression,  "  We  mean  the  re- 
generation of  our  country." 

This  chapter  asserts  the  necessity  of  regenera- 
tion to  the  Christian  life.  A  treatise  on  it  means  a 
doctrinal  treatise.  I  know  that  doctrinal  preach- 
ing is  not  considered  the  preaching  for  the  times ; 
but  I  know  just  as  Avell  that  this  is  not  the  decision 
of  the  deepest  and  best  thinkers  of  the  Christian 
community.  It  is  the  decision  only  of  the  super- 
ficial, who  are  thorough  neither  in  Christian 
doctrine  nor  in  Christian  character.  Christian 
doctrine  forms  the  foundation  of  Christian  belief. 


6o  STUDIES    IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

Christian  belief  gives  rise  to  Christian  life  and 
practice.  Christ  preached  doctrine  and  made  the 
apostles.  The  apostles  preached  doctrine  and  made 
the  early  Christian  churches.  These  churches 
were  all  characterized  for  burning  faith  and  zeal 
and  self-sacrifice.  What  would  the  apostle  John 
be  without  the  doctrine  of  the  divinity  of  Christ  ? 
What  would  the  apostle  Paul  be  without  the  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  faith  ?  Even  the  practical 
James  had  to  be  doctrinal  in  order  to  be  true  to 
his  Christian  nature.  He  dealt  in  a  wholesale  way 
with  the  fruits  of  the  Christian  life,  but  he  could 
not  write  his  epistle  of  works  without  presenting 
the  doctrine  of  regeneration  as  the  root  of  all  Chris- 
tian fruit.  With  this  doctrine  ignored  and  left 
out,  his  treatise  on  the  Christian  life  would  be 
incomplete  and  misleading.  He  presents  the  doc- 
trine in  this  one  brief  but  positive  statement :  "  Of 
his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the  word  of  his 
truth,  that  we  should  be  a  kind  of  first-fruits  of  his 
creatures."  The  Christianity  which  has  been  built 
upon  the  basis  of  Christian  doctrine  has  not  yet 
been  improved.  There  is  no  set  of  men  in  the 
modem  Christian  community  that  excel  the  Pil- 
grims, the  Puritans,  the  Covenanters,  the  Plugue- 
nots,  the  Waldensians.  The  largest  dish  served 
on  the  gospel  table  at  which  these  sublime  Chris- 
tian heroes  fed  luas  the  doctrhial  dish.  They  were 
brought  up  on  doctrinal  preaching.  Suppose  that 
we  did  decide  to  discard  Christian  doctrine  from 
the  pulpit,  we  would  have  to  make  an  exception  of 
this  one  doctrine — the  doctrine  of  regeneration.     Re- 


CHRIST  AND   NICODEMUS.  6l 

generation  is  more  than  a  doctrine;  it  is  a  fact. 
The  new  creation  is  as  real  in  the  life  of  the 
Christian  as  the  creation  of  our  solar  system  is 
in  the  material  universe  of  God.  Regeneration, 
therefore,  must  always  be  a  living  and  a  present 
theme  in  the  Christian  Church,  for  it  is  a  present 
fact  in  the  life  of  the  individual  saint.  Without  it 
there  is  no  spiritual  life,  activity,  worship.  In 
making  regeneration  the  subject  of  thought,  we 
will  keep  our  minds  upon  five  general  statements, 
drawn  from  Christ's  conversation  with  Nicodemus. 

I.  Our  first  statement  is,  Regeneration  is  all-ini- 
porta7it. 

Everything  we  say  ought  to  magnify  the  im- 
portance of  regeneration,  but  in  this  wStatement  we 
wish  to  bring  before  us  the  way  in  which  Christ 
magnifies  its  importance.  We  wish  to  look  at  re- 
generation as  it  is  in  the  history  which  records  the 
dealings  of  Jesus  with  Nicodemus. 

Nicodemus,  a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  came  to  Jesus 
by  night  to  be  instructed  by  him  in  the  things  per- 
taining to  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  kingdom 
had  been  the  hope  and  inspiration  to  which  Israel 
had  looked  for  centuries.  In  giving  him  instruc- 
tion, we  may  conclude  that  Jesus  will  be  most 
accurate  and  thorough.  He  vvill  commence  his 
teachings  with  the  foundation  principle.  Now, 
what  was  the  foundation  fact  which  Christ  pre- 
sented to  this  man  who  sought  entrance  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  ?  //  was  the  new  birth.  Over  the 
gates  of  the  kingdom  Christ  inscribed  with  his 
own  hands,' ''  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  can- 


62  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

not  enter  the  kingdom  of  God."  Without  regen- 
eration, a  man  who  enters  the  church  and  publicly 
confesses  Christ  is  only  playing  the  Christian. 
He  is  no  better  spiritually  than  a  galvanized 
corpse.  Under  the  power  of  electricity  the  corpse 
may  open  and  shut  its  eyes,  move  its  hands  and 
feet,  pass  through  various  contortions,  but  there  is 
no  life  in  it.  Without  regeneration,  a  man  can 
only  have  a  name  to  live,  while  he  is  dead. 

Several  things  emphasize  Christ's  estimate  of 
regeneration.  The  time  at  which  he  gave  his  in- 
struction does.  It  was  night.  He  might  reasonably 
have  excused  himself.  He  was  weary  with  the 
work  of  the  crowded  day  which  had  just  closed ; 
he  was  entitled  to  rest  and  sleep.  It  was  coward- 
ice in  Nicodemus  that  brought  him  in  the  dark- 
ness, and  Jesus  might  justly  have  rebuked  his 
cowardice  and  have  sent  him  away.  He  might 
have  said,  "  Come  openly  to-morrow  in  daylight, 
and  like  a  man,  and  take  your  place  among  the 
multitude,  and  I  will  instruct  you  in  common  with 
them."  Christ  esteemed  the  subject  of  regenera- 
tion of  too  great  importance  to  treat  Nicodemus  in 
this  way,  so  at  the  sacrifice  of  rest  and  sleep  he 
discoursed  upon  it. 

There  is  an  emphasis  also  in  the  very  direct- 
ness with  which  Christ  treats  the  subject.  Nico- 
demus begins  the  conversation  with  a  compliment- 
ary address,  "  We  know  that  thou  art  a  teacher 
come  from  God,  for  no  man  can,"  etc.  Christ  does 
not  stop  to  return  the  compliment,  or  to  note  the 
position  of  the  man  or  his  research  or  his  logical 


CHRIST  AND   NICODEMUS.  6$ 

reasoning  about  his  divine  mission.  He  at  once 
takes  up  the  subject.  The  subject  was  the 
most  important  thing  of  the  hour  in  his  estima- 
tion. 

Christ,  again,  puts  his  seal  upon  the  importance 
of  regeneration  by  the  care  which  he  takes  to  in- 
struct Nicodemus  and  to  correct  his  misapprehen- 
sions. By  his  question  Nicodemus  shows  that  he 
supposed  that  the  physical  man  should  be  born 
again.  Christ  teaches  him  that  the  spiritual  man 
must  be  born  again.  Though  a  man  were  bom 
a  hundred  times  physically,  he  would  be  no  better, 
"  for  that  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh."  Nic- 
odemus acts  as  though  regeneration  were  contrary 
to  reason,  because  it  is  enshrouded  in  mystery. 
Christ  shows  that  although  the  method  which  is 
divine  is  a  mystery,  yet  the  effects  of  regeneration 
are  tangible  and  visible.  This  is  all  that  is  needed. 
The  method  of  the  Spirit,  who  regenerates,  is  like 
the  method  of  the  wind.  The  method  of  the  wind 
we  cannot  understand,  but  we  can  hear  it,  and  we 
can  see  results  when  it  sweeps  over  the  land,  so 
we  do  not  doubt  its  existence  or  its  operation. 
Even  so  we  can  see  the  men  who  are  spiritually 
born,  who  are  regenerated  by  the  Spirit ;  we  can 
see  the  product  of  their  lives,  and  this  is  enough  to 
show  us  that  regeneration  is  a  possibility  and  that 
it  is  desirable. 

II.  Regeneration  is  wholly  a  divine  act. 

It  is  in  no  sense  man's  act.  We  have  no  part 
in  our  regeneration.  I  want  to  make  this  state- 
ment as  bold  as  possible,  for  it  is  the  teaching  of 


64  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  Bible  and  it  strikes  at  a  great  many  errors.  It 
is  very  humiliating,  but  still  it  is  Scripture,  and  all 
that  a  minister  can  do  is  to  proclaim  Scripture. 
Scripture  teaches  that  in  our  spiritual  nature  we 
are  dead  until  we  are  resurrected  by  the  Spirit  of 
God.  The  physical  nature  is  living,  but  the  spirit- 
ual nature  is  dead.  We  sometimes  see  a  part  of  a 
man  dead,  while  the  other  parts  are  living.  For 
example,  the  eyes  are  sightless ;  they  are  dead  to 
the  world  of  light  and  color.  Or  the  arm  is  para- 
lyzed ;  it  is  dead,  it  has  no  power  or  motion.  Or 
the  ear  is  deaf ;  it  is  dead  to  the  world  of  music. 
These  parts  are  dead  while  yet  the  other  members 
of  a  man's  body  are  living.  Before  the  regenera- 
tion the  physical,  bodily  man  lives,  but  the  spirit- 
ual nature,  the  nature  which  deals  with  God  and 
divine  things,*  just  as  the  ear  deals  with  music,  is 
dead.  It  does  not  recognize  God  nor  discern  the 
things  of  the  Spirit  nor  see  the  invisible  realities 
of  eternity.  In  regeneration  the  Spirit  of  God 
comes  to  the  dead  spiritual  nature  in  us  and 
breathes  into  it  the  breath  of  life,  just  as  at  the 
beginning  God  breathed  into  the  clay  form  which 
he  had  moulded  and  fashioned  with  his  own 
hands,  and  the  form  of  clay  arose  a  living  man 
called  Adam.  The  work  of  the  Spirit  extends  to 
the  whole  soul.  The  whole  soul  is  regenerated. 
This  must  be  so,  because  the  soul  is  a  unit  and  is 
indivisible.  Regeneration  means  the  life  of  the 
whole  soul.  No  new  faculties  are  brought  into 
being,  but  the  lifeless  faculties  are  acted  upon. 
The  mind  is  illumined,  the  eyes  of  the  understand- 


CHRIST  AND   NICODEMUS.  65 

ing  are  opened.,  the  conscience  is  awakened,  the 
will  is  renewed  and  set  free  from  the  bondage  of 
lust  and  passion. 

Take  an  illustration.  Here  is  a  perfect  locomo- 
tive, finished  and  placed  on  the  railroad  track. 
But  it  is  without  life.  It  has  no  power.  Its  beau- 
tiful mechanism  exists  to  no  purpose.  What  does 
it  need  to  make  it  a  power?  It  needs  steam. 
When  filled  with  steam,  which  is  its  life,  then 
every  valve  and  shaft  and  w^heel  is  full  of  vitality, 
and  at  the  scream  of  the  whistle  the  engine  begins 
to  stir  itself  and  to  move  and  gather  speed,  until  it 
bounds  through  the  valleys  and  over  the  hills  with 
the  velocity  of  the  wind.  Regeneration  is  to  dead 
spiritual  faculties  what  steam  is  to  that  beautiful 
piece  of  mechanism.  Every  faculty  is  filled  with 
life  and  set  in  operation.  The  engine  has  no 
power  to  put  steam  into  itself ;  that  is  done  by  an 
outside  living  person.  Lazarus  had  no  power  to 
bring  himself  to  life  ;  that  was  done  independent 
of  him,  by  Christ,  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the 
life.  As  Lazarus  was  dead  physically,  the  unregen- 
erate  man  is  dead  spiritually.  This  being  so,  you 
can  see  the  fallacy  which  some  teach  when  they  say 
that  all  that  a  man  needs  to  do  in  order  to  reach 
fitness  for  heaven  is  to  develop  what  is  in  him  by 
nature.  God's  Word  teaches  that  far  more  is 
needed.  It  is  necessary  that  God,  by  his  Spirit, 
shall  come  to  him  and  put  the  spark  of  divine  life 
into  him.  It  is  the  development  of  this  new  life 
which  the  Spirit  puts  into  him  that  constitutes 
preparation  for  heaven. 

StuJl^B    in    John's   Gospel. 


66  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

That  regeneration  is  wholly  the  act  of  God,  and 
not  in  any  sense  the  work  of  man,  is  set  forth  by 
the  figures  used  to  designate  the  change  which 
regeneration  produces.  It  is  called  a  resurrection. 
Only  divine  power  can  resurrect.  When  the 
prophet  Ezekiel  looked  upon  the  valley  which 
was  filled  with  the  whitened  bones  of  centuries, 
and  was  asked  by  the  Lord  the  question.  Can  these 
bones  live  ?  he  felt  that  only  Almighty  God  could 
make  them  live.  When  bone  after  bone  all 
through  the  valley  began  to  move  till  all  were 
leaping  and  skipping  here  and  there  searching  for 
their  companion  bones  in  the  once  perfect  man ; 
when  skeleton  after  skeleton  was  completed  and 
clothed  with  flesh  and  filled  with  life ;  when  the 
valley  was  filled  with  a  vast  army  of  men  march- 
ing with  full  life,  he  said,  "  This  is  the  work  of 
God ;  only  he  can  convert  bleached  bones  into 
mighty  battalions."  The  regeneration  of  man  is 
a  work  like  that  which  God  wrought  in  the  valley 
of  dead  bones.  It  is  as  truly  the  evidence  of  the 
presence  of  God. 

But  let  us  adopt  another  method  in  treating 
this  fact  which  the  Scriptures  lay  down  with  such 
emphasis  for  the  humbling  of  man's  pride,  viz. : 
Regeneration  is  absolutely  and  wholly  the  act  of 
God.  We  want  to  notice  the  argument  which  can 
be  formulated  from  science  to  support  this  fact. 
Men  have  all  along  hated  the  statement  "that 
God  only  can  regenerate  the  soul,"  ''the  Spirit 
only  can  give  spiritual  life."  They  have  taught 
the  doctrine  that  the  spiritual  life  can  rise  in  man 


CHRIST  AND   NICODEMUS.  6/ 

Spontaneously,  if  man  will  only  bring  himself  into 
a  proper  atmosphere.  A  man  can  become  better 
and  better,  until  in  the  course  of  progress  he 
reaches  that  quality  of  religious  nature  known  as 
spiritual  life.  This  life  is  not  something  added 
from  without  to  the  natural  man,  it  is  simply  the 
development  of  the  natural  man.  Up  until  lately 
we  had  to  rely  wholly  upon  Scripture  for  our  doc- 
trine that  the  spiritual  life  is  something  which 
comes  into  us  from  without.  But  lately  science 
has  come  to  our  help.  It  teaches  us  that  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  spontaneous  generation,  i.  e.,  life 
coming  from  death,  a  live  spiritual  man  springing 
from  a  dead  natural  man.  Science  lays  down  this 
law:  Life  can  only  come  from  the  touch  of  life. 
The  attempt  to  get  the  living  out  of  the  dead  is  an 
absurdity.  There  is  no  spontaneous  generation  of 
life.  It  is  interesting  to  look  at  the  experiments  by 
which  science  reaches  these  conclusions.  Let  me 
present  the  process  briefly  as  it  is  found  in  Drum- 
mond's  "  Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World :" 
Bastian,  who  argued  that  life  was  generated  spon- 
taneously, took  a  glass  vessel  which  he  filled  three 
parts  with  an  infusion  of  hay  and  organic  matter. 
These  he  boiled  to  kill  all  the  germs  of  life.  Then 
they  were  hermetically  sealed  to  exclude  the  outer 
air.  The  air  inside  the  glass  was  supposed  to  be 
dead.  Bastian  said,  "  Now  if  life  appears  in  this 
glass  jar  full  of  death,  it  must  spring  into  be- 
ing of  itself."  Life  did  appear  inside  in  my- 
riad quantity.  Tyndall  and  other  scientists  were 
aroused  by  Bastian's  experiment  to  experiment  for 


63  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

themselves.  They  found  germs  of  life  that  were 
almost  fire-proof.  So  they  used  a  higher  tempera- 
ture and  different  methods  to  annihilate  life,  and 
the  result  was  that  no  life  sprang  up  from  matter 
proven  to  be  absolutely  dead.  So  far  as  science  is 
concerned,  these  experiments  have  established  this 
fact,  You  cannot  get  life  out  of  death.  If  a  parti- 
cle of  dead,  inorganic  matter  is  to  get  into  the 
world  above  it,  i.  e.,  into  the  animal  world  or  the 
vegetable  world,  it  must  be  born  from  above.  No 
change  of  substance,  no  modification  of  environ- 
ment, no  chemistry,  no  electricity,  can  endow  a 
single  atom  of  the  mineral  world  with  the  attribute 
of  life.  If  the  dead  atom  is  to  get  into  the  tree 
and  becom.e  part  of  it  and  live,  the  tree  must  send 
its  roots  after  it  and  come  to  it  with  the  life,  and 
it  must  be  subjected  to  the  touch  of  the  life  of 
the  tree  before  it  can  cross  from  the  world  below 
into  the  world  above.  If  the  life  of  the  tree  does 
not  touch  it,  it  will  remain  dead  for  ever.  It 
must  be  bom  from  above.  Science  has  set  all  na- 
ture ringing  the  cry  of  Christ,  ''  Ye  must  be  born 
again  ;  ye  must  be  born  from  above."  The  law  of 
God  in  both  the  natural  and  religious  world  is  one 
and  the  same.  If  the  dead  natural  man  is  to  get 
into  the  world  above  him,  i.  e.,  into  the  spiritual 
world,  the  world  of  God,  God  must  come  down  to 
him,  and  he  must  feel  the  touch  of  the  divine  life. 
He  must  be  born  from  above.  The  doctrine  of  re- 
generation is  scientific. 

III.  Regeneration  is  absolutely  necessary  for  admis- 
sion to  heaven. 


CHRIST  AND   NICODEMUS.  69 

The  two  ''  Verily s  "  of  the  text  lay  stress  upon 
this  point.  They  have  the  solemnity  and  force  of 
an  oath  in  pressing  home  the  statement  of  Jesus. 

Regeneration  is  necessary  as  a  vindication  of 
God's  holiness  and  a  testimonial  to  his  character. 
The  standard  which  one  sets  up  is  an  index  of 
what  he  is  himself.  We  know  a  college  by  the 
course  of  study  it  prescribes.  We  know  a  parent 
by  the  discipline  under  which  he  puts  his  child. 
We  know  God  by  what  he  makes  necessary  to 
fellowship  with  him. 

The  fitness  of  things  requires  regeneration.  A 
sinful  nature  would  not  match  the  holiness  of 
heaven.  The  keepers  at  the  gates  can  admit  only 
what  is  congenial.  At  every  admission  the  repu- 
tation of  heaven  is  at  stake.  It  is  a  certain  charac- 
ter only  that  can  abide  in  the  tabernacle  of  God : 
it  is  the  regenerated  character.  Nothing  else  will 
be  accepted.  There  is  no  substitute  for  it.  A 
mere  profession  of  faith  is  not  a  substitute.  Out- 
ward reformation  is  not  a  substitute.  Nothing 
will  do  but  this,  "  Man  must  become  a  new  crea- 
ture." 

Regeneration  is  necessary  to  make  heaven  en, 
joyable.  An  unregenerated  man  would  have  no 
aptitude  for  the  exercises  of  heaven  if  he  were 
within  its  gates.  He  would  have  no  sympathy 
with  its  services.  It  is  amazing  to  hear  people 
who  exclude  God  from  their  lives  on  earth  talking 
about  going  to  heaven,  expressing  the  desire  to 
be  found  there  in  the  other  life.  It  is  the  height 
of  foolishness  for  some  people  to  want  to  go  to 


70  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

heaven.  If  they  were  taken  at  their  word  and  trans- 
lated there,  they  would  find  that  heaven  was  the 
worst  place  in  the  universe  for  them.  If  they  can- 
not stand  a  Sabbath  in  the  service  of  God's  house , 
upon  earth,  the  Sabbatism  of  heaven  would  be  an 
irksome,  painful  imprisonment  to  them ;  it  would 
be  eternal  agony.  The  presence  of  Christ,  when 
he  was  on  earth,  was  torment  to  the  demons. 
They  cried  out  when  he  approached  them,  "Art 
thou  come  to  torment  us  before  our  time  !"  Unre- 
generacy  is  as  completely  alienated  from  God  as 
demoniacism.  A  saint  in  hell  or  a  sinner  in  heav- 
en— of  the  two  I  believe  that  the  sinner  would  be 
worse  off.  It  is  idle  for  men  to  talk  about  going 
to  heaven,  and  to  express  the  desire  that  they 
may  reach  heaven  at  last ;  what  they  should  desire 
to  seek  is  regeneration,  preparation  for  heaven. 
There  is  no  heaven  for  an  unregenerated  man.  I 
recently  came  across  this  item  of  history,  which 
serves  as  an  illustration  in  point.  When  the  Car- 
thaginians captured  Regulus,  the  heroic  soldier  of 
Rome,  they  put  him  to  the  most  cruel  tortures. 
They  cut  off  his  eyelids  and  bound  him  with  his 
back  to  the  earth  and  his  face  to  the  sky,  compel- 
ling him  to  look  unsheltered  into  the  insufferable 
radiance  of  the  sun.  What  were  the  elements  in 
that  intolerable  agony  ?  Simply  these  two :  an 
open  eye  and  a  pure  glory.  That  is  the  picture  of 
an  unregenerated  sinner  in  heaven.  No  anguish 
conceivable  to  a  lost  soul  could  equal  this :  that 
with  open  eye  he  should  be  compelled  to  endure 
the  full  blaze  of  God's  glory. 


CHRIST  AND    NICODEMUS.  7 1 

IV.  Regeneration^  although  wholly  and  absolutely 
of  God,  is  easily  attainable.  In  the  universal  offer 
of  the  gospel  there  is  a  universal  offer  of  regenera- 
tion. If  this  be  not  true,  the  gospel  offer  is  not 
worth  the  paper  upon  which  it  is  written.  But  it  is 
true.  I  make  this  point  because  there  are  some 
people  who  feel  uneasy  about  regeneration,  seeing 
that  it  is  wholly  the  act  of  God.  If  they  could 
regenerate  themselves,  they  would  have  greater 
comfort ;  they  would  feel  surer  of  regeneration. 
As  it  comes  from  God,  they  do  not  feel  sure  that 
they  can  get  it  or  that  it  is  easily  attainable  by 
men.  I  know  how  that  feeling  originates.  It 
originates  from  looking  at  great  spiritual  facts  as 
these  are  systematized  in  human  theologies.  In 
these  systems  one  fact  is  taken  from  God's  Word, 
and  from  the  place  where  God  has  placed  it,  and 
another  is  taken  from  another  place,  and  these 
facts  are  squared  and  fitted  together  by  human  in- 
genuity. I  find  myself  perplexed  when  I  try  to 
fit  things  together  in  this  way.  But  I  find  that  I 
can  take  the  facts  of  Scripture  just  as  they  are  on 
the  inspired  page,  and  believe  them,  and  act  upon 
them,  and  fit  them  into  my  Christian  living,  and 
there  is  no  conflict  in  them  whatever.  This  is 
what  God  wants  us  to  do.  He  wants  flesh  and 
blood  creeds.  He  wants  a  living  document.  He 
wants  a  Christian  man  embodying  Christian  truth. 
In  reading  the  Scriptures  as  they  present  the 
subject  of  regeneration,  I  do  not  see  where  a  man 
can  get  any  ground  for  being  uneasy  about  regen- 
eration because  it  is  wholly  in  God's  hand.     That 


/- 


STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSTEL. 


is  a  reason  for  confidence,  just  as  the  fact  that  we 
are  absolutely  dependent  upon  God  is  a  reason  for 
joy.  We  are  so  weak  that  self-dependence  would 
be  a  very  uncertain  thing.  God  is  all-powerful 
and  unchangeable,  and  dependence  upon  him 
means  absolute  safety.  If  we  had  to  regene- 
rate ourselves,  the  regeneration  would  be  poorly 
done.  But,  then,  will  God  give  men  regeneration 
freely  and  largely?  As  though  to  preclude  this 
question  and  give  it  no  basis  whatever,  Christ  puts 
back  of  the  necessity  of  regeneration  the  glowing 
and  infinite  love  of  God.  You  no  sooner  read, 
''  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  enter  the 
kingdom  of  God,"  than  you  read  also,  ''  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten 
Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not 
perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  The  two  declara- 
tions  are  part  of  the  same  chapter  in  God's 
Word.  Overpowered  with  the  sense  of  the  infini- 
tude of  God's  love  as  seen  in  the  gift  of  his  Son, 
there  is  no  room  in  our  hearts  for  the  surmise 
that  he  v/ill  withhold  anything.  Regeneration  is 
necessary  to  make  God's  love,  manifested  in  his 
Son,  effective  to  us.  It  is  therefore  to  be  taken  for 
granted  that  he  will  give  regeneration,  and  make 
the  offer  of  it  as  broad  as  the  offer  of  his  Son.  As 
well  might  the  flowers  of  the  garden  fear  that 
they  would  be  denied  the  refreshing  raindrops, 
while  the  shower  is  falling  upon  them,  as  the  soul 
fear  that  God  would  deny  it  regeneration.  As  well 
also  might  the  particles  of  soil  fear  that  they 
would  not  be  allowed  to  enter  the  plant  and  live 


CHRIST  AND    NICODEMUS.  73 

in  the  bright  colors  of  the  blossom,  when  the  innu- 
merable roots  of  the  plant  are  pushing  their  v/ay 
after  these  particles  and  long  to  translate  and 
vivify  them. 

V.  Regeneration  is  easily  recognized. 

Unregeneracy  is  marked  and  discernible.  Why 
should  not  degeneracy  be  marked  and  discernible  ? 
Neglect  heaped  on  the  Word  of  God,  want  of  the 
spirit  of  prayer,  avoidance  of  the  communion  of 
the  saints,  the  habit  of  any  gross  sin,  these  all 
indicate  unregeneracy.  Notice  we  say  habit  of 
any  gross  sin.  For  a  saint  may  be  suddenly  over- 
powered by  such  a  sin  and  fall  into  it  for  a  time 
through  temptation.  As  unregeneracy  is  marked 
and  discernible,  so  is  regeneracy.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary, as  some  would  teach,  that  we  should  be  able 
to  tell  the  time  when  regeneration  took  place.  We 
may  be  able  to  do  this,  or  we  m.ay  not,  but  there  is 
no  Scripture  which  says  that  we  must  be  able.  It 
is  not  necessary  that  we  shall  be  able.  If  we  are 
living  the  regenerated  life,  we  are  as  well  off  as 
those  who,  like  Paul,  can  give  manner  and  date 
and  place  of  regeneration.  What  more  had  Paul  ? 
What  more  have  these  persons  than  the  product  of 
regeneration,  viz.,  a  regenerated  life  ?  We  know 
nothing  of  our  physical  birth.  But  that  does  not 
trouble  us.  We  know  that  we  have  been  born 
physically.  We  have  physical  life.  We  eat,  we 
drink,  we  sleep,  we  walk,  v^e  see.  Even  so  if  in 
the  spiritual  life  we  enjoy  God,  delight  in  his  wor- 
ship, in  his  people,  in  his  ideals,  in  his  book,  in  his 
day,  in  the  thoughts  of  being  with  him  for  ever, 
4 


74  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

this  is  enough.  This  is  a  regenerated  life,  and  it 
could  not  be  if  regeneration  had  not  preceded  it. 

Are  you  regenerated  ?  Does  the  life  which  you 
live  say  so  ?  Do  the  reigning  desires  within  you 
say  so?  Do  your  fellowships  and  your  pursuits 
and  your  recreations  and  your  pleasures  say  so  ? 
If  you  are  regenerated,  then  a  magnificent  future 
awaits  you.  To  you  regeneration  is  the  dawn  of 
the  spiritual  day,  and  that  means,  by-and-by,  the 
glory  and  splendor  of  the  noontide.  That  means 
the  day  in  its  perfection.  What  is  the  day  in  its 
perfection?  It  is  eternity  with  God  in  heaven. 
Regeneration  means  entrance  into  the  kingdom  ; 
and  entrance  into  the  kingdom  means  the  crown 
and  the  seat  upon  the  throne  which  Christ  has 
promised  to  all  who  are  his. 

Are  you  unregenerated  ?  If  so,  you  see  your 
duty.  Follow  in  the  course  of  Nicodemus.  Re- 
member v/hat  he  did.  He  let  his  natural  and 
physical  man,  which  was  living  and  active,  bring 
his  dead  spiritual  nature  to  Christ,  that  He  might 
speak  to  it  the  word  of  life  and  regenerate  it.  Let 
your,  physical  man  bring  your  dead  spiritual  na- 
ture to  the  mercy -seat,  to  the  place  where  the 
promise  is  and  where  the  Spirit  works,  and  you 
shall  not  fail  of  regeneration.  The  gift  which  God 
made  of  his  own  vSon  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world  says  that  you  shall  not  fail.  The  universal 
offer  of  the  gospel  which  God  by  his  Spirit  makes 
says  that  you  shall  not  fail.  Who  dares  say  that 
you  shall  ? 


CHRIST'S   DEFINITION    OF   WORSHIP.  75 


CHRIST'S  DEFINITION  OF  WORSHIP:  HIS 
SERMON  AT  JACOB'S  WELL. 

"  God  is  a  Spirit  ;  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship 

HIM    in   spirit   and    IN   TRUTH."— /c/jW  4: 24. 

The  worship  of  God  is  the  highest  act  of  man. 
It  is  ultimate  in  the  scale  of  human  possibilities. 
It  is  the  occupation  of  heaven.  We  know  what 
the  heavenly  life  is.  The  Bible  conception  of 
heaven  is  a  world  of  glory  with  a  throne  of  glory, 
and  God  on  the  throne  surrounded  by  the  count- 
less multitudes  of  the  saved  from  every  kindred 
and  people  and  tongue  and  nation,  all  casting  their 
crowns  at  his  feet  and  making  the  glory-world  ring 
with  Te  Deums  that  sound  like  the  noise  of  many 
waters  and  the  roll  of  mighty  thunders.  There  is 
nothing  higher  than  heaven-life.  Now  the  spirit 
which  dominates  the  heaven-life  is  the  spirit  of 
worship.  I  repeat  therefore  my  first  sentence : 
The  worship  of  God  is  the  highest  act  of  man. 

If  this  be  true,  it  is  self-evident  that  no  ques- 
tion is  more  vital  or  fundamental  to  those  who  are 
stepping  heavenward  than  the  question.  What  is 
true  worship  ?  What  views  of  God  and  what  atti- 
tudes towards  God  does  it  include  ?  What  feel- 
ings in  man  does  it  embrace?  What  sublime 
resultants  does  it  insure  ? 

In  dealing  with  Christ's  definition  of  worship 
there  are  two  things  upon  which  I  wish  to  speak. 


']G  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

THE   THINGS  WHICH    CHRIST  ASSUMES. 

1.  Christ  assumes  that  man  alone  of  all  the  living 
occupants  of  earth  is  able  to  recognize  God  and  feel  his 
presence. 

This  is  strictly  true  of  man.  It  is  true  of  no 
other  earthly  creature.  The  lower  animals,  how- 
ever remarkable  their  sagacity  or  keen  their  in- 
stinct, have  no  sense  of  the  divine.  The  unfolding 
beauties  of  nature,  the  vast  operations  of  material 
laws,  the  sunlight  on  the  slopes  of  morning,  and 
the  silent  darkness  in  the  valleys  of  night,  these 
awaken  in  them  neither  awe  nor  admiration.  They 
hear  no  message  in  the  whisper  of  the  wind,  and 
the  tempest  bears  no  voice  of  God.  But  man  is 
nobler  than  they.  He  feels  after  the  divine.  There 
come  in  upon  his  soul,  through  all  his  senses,  the 
signs  of  an  invisible  presence  feeding  the  heart 
with  a  consciousness  of  God. 

2.  Christ  assumes  that  man  is  the  only  being  on 
the  earth  in  whom  God  recognizes  the  existence  of  in- 
tellectual and  moral  power. 

To  man  only  has  God  given  a  revelation.  To 
man  only  does  God  say,  ''  Come  and  let  us  reason 
together."  This  power  to  reason  with  God  is  the 
chief  glory  of  human  nature.  My  ability  to  take 
God's  thoughts  into  my  soul  and  feel  their  power 
impresses  me  with  a  sense  of  my  kinship  with  the 
divine.  Between  brutes  of  the  highest  type  of 
instinct  and  myself  I  feel  that  there  is  an  infinite 
chasm.  They  cannot  understand  my  thoughts.  I 
cannot  reason  with  them.     We  have  no  mental 


CHRIST'S   DEFINITION   OF   WORSHIP.  JJ 

fellowship.  But  I  can  reason  with  God,  feel  the 
force  of  his  ideas,  and  bow  to  their  hallowing  and 
uplifting  influence.  Because  I  can,  God  deals  with 
me  as  he  does  not  deal  with  the  creatures  below 
me. 

3.  Christ  assumes  that  man  is  a  constitutional  wor- 
shipper. 

This  also  is  a  fact.  Man's  whole  being  cries 
out  for  the  living  God.  There  are  some  who  seek 
to  disparage  worship  by  representing  it  as  an 
arbitrary  and  unnatural  service.  They  denomi- 
nate it  a  human  device.  They  speak  of  it  as  the 
fruit  of  priestcraft.  But  how  came  the  priest  into 
being?  He  was  created  by  the  demand  of  human 
nature.  What  gives  the  priest  his  power?  He 
receives  his  power  from  the  element  of  worship  in 
human  nature.  The  disposition  to  worship  be- 
longs to  the  structure  of  the  soul,  and  it  can  never 
be  eradicated  until  the  soul  itself  is  destro3^ed. 
Worship  is  as  old  as  the  records  of  humanity. 
Adam  heard  God's  voice  in  Paradise  before  the 
da3^s  of  priests,  and  Abel  was  his  own  priest  when 
he  offered  sacrifices  to  God. 

There  are  some  who  hint  that  the  spirit  of  wor- 
ship is  dying  out.  They  claim  that  the  progress 
of  science  is  annihilating  it,  and  that  this  is  the 
mission  of  science.  They  say  science  has  already 
m.ade  an  attack  on  prayer.  True  ;  but  there  is  not 
one  house  of  prayer  less.  Is  it  the  mission  of 
science  to  degrade  human  nature  ?  Science  is  no 
new  thing.  It  has  lived  by  the  side  of  religion 
-ever  since  the  days  of  Christ,  and  religion  has  as 


78  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

yet  received  from  it  no  death-blow.  When  science 
gave  lis  the  Copernican  theory  of  astronomy  and 
took  away  the  Ptolemaic  theory,  was  there  any- 
thing in  the  change  to  paralyze  wonder  or  release 
the  mind  of  man  from  awe  and  worship  as  it  stood 
in  the  presence  of  the  God  of  the  stars?  When 
science  succeeded  in  measuring  the  speed  of  light, 
did  religion  suffer  any  shock  ?  When  science  un- 
twisted the  sunbeam  and  lifted  before  men  the 
different  hues  which  are  braided  into  its  structure, 
did  the  new  knowledge  injure  the  religious  in- 
stincts of  humanity  ?  Rather  did  not  men  praise 
God  with  a  fresh  force  because  of  the  hidden  won- 
ders discovered  in  his  works  ? 

There  is  nothing  in  the  advances  of  science  to 
stifle  in  the  soul  of  man  the  cry  of  adoration  or  to 
embarrass  the  intellect  of  man  in  taking  the  atti- 
tude of  faith  and  of  worship.  On  the  contrary, 
science  has  opened  up  the  works  of  God,  and  has 
filled  up  for  us  in  the  handwriting  of  God  himself 
many  pages  of  the  Book  of  Nature  which  were 
only  blanks  to  past  generations.  Ah  against  what 
folly  are  we  arguing  thus  ?  Our  knowledge  of  the 
universe  to  dry  up  the  springs  of  awe  and  to  hush 
the  cry  of  wonder  that  goes  out  from  brain  and 
heart  into  the  surrounding  mystery  !  Who  would 
count  that  an  advance  ?  Yet  by  the  decree  of  God 
humanity  is  bound  to  advance.  Let  the  man  come 
forward  who  is  ready  to  say  under  the  starry  arch 
of  night,  "  I  know  so  much  of  nature  that  I  blow 
from  me  as  a  bubble  the  thought  of  God  and 
count  it  childish  to  entertain  the  thought  of  a  sov- 


CHRIST'S   DEFINITION   OF   WORSHIP.  79 

ereign  Mind."  Did  Newton  feel  like  saying  that? 
Would  Herschel  say  that  in  his  observatory  ?  If 
they  had  said  it,  would  we  think  them  to  be  the 
great  men  that  we  now  think  them  to  be?  If 
David  could  have  known  the  firmament  as  we 
know  it,  if  he  could  have  swept  the  skies  with  a 
Ross  or  a  Lick  telescope,  would  he  have  had  less 
reason  to  cry,  or  would  he  have  been  less  moved 
to  exclaim,  "  When  I  look  up  into  the  heavens, 
the  works  of  thy  fingers,  and  to  the  moon  and  the 
stars  which  thou  hast  ordained,  then  I  say.  Lord, 
what  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him,  or  the 
son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him?"  My  fellow- 
men,  worship  will  cease  from  the  earth  only  when 
wonder  dies  in  the  heart  of  man  and  when  the 
sense  of  the  infinite  is  expunged  from  his  soul.  It 
will  not  be  the  progress  of  scientific  knowledge, 
but  the  decay  of  the  noble  elements  in  human 
nature,  that  will  banish  worship  from  the  world. 
The  cry  that  worship  is  dying  out  is  false.  Man's 
danger  has  never  been  not  to  worship,  but  to  over- 
worship.  The  conflict  of  the  ages  has  been  be- 
tween Monotheism  and  Polytheism.  Man's  great- 
est danger  is  ''  gods  many  and  lords  many."  This 
God  himself  teaches  in  the  very  first  command- 
ment of  the  Decalogue.  In  this  commandment 
he  feels  impelled  to  say  to  man,  "  Thou  shalt  have 
no  other  god  before  me."  It  is  in  line  with  this 
first  commandment  that  Jesus  sets  forth,  in  his 
interview  with  the  Samaritan  woman,  the  true 
object  of  worship  and  the  true  way  of  worshipping 
the  true  object. 


8o  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

THE   THINGS   WPIICH   CHRIST  ASSERTS. 

I.  True  worship  must  be  in  Jiarmony  with  the  na- 
ture of  God. 

(a.)  The  true  worshipper  must  know  God  as  a  per- 
son. 

We  are  not  to  think  of  God  as  a  mere  force, 
for  this  is  an  indefinite  conception  of  him.  We 
must  think  of  him  as  a  person.  Christ  sets  him 
forth  as  a  person  having  personal  attributes,  such 
as  affections,  will,  freedom,  intellect,  the  power 
to  recognize  and  to  reciprocate  our  love.  This 
teaching  of  Christ  is  in  harmony  v/ith  reason. 
Reason  says  God  has  personality.  It  argues  that 
no  one  can  give  to  others  that  which  he  does  not 
possess  himself.  The  artist,  the  sculptor,  the  ma- 
chinist can  give  to  the  picture,  the  statue,  the 
engine  only  that  idea  or  design  which  is  in  his 
own  mind.  The  argument  of  reason  is  this:  I 
have  personality,  therefore  God  who  made  me  has 
personality,  else  he  could  not  have  given  me  per- 
sonality. I  imagine  you  say,  ''  It  is  difficult  for  us 
to  conceive  of  the  personality  of  God.  How  are 
we  to  reach  it?"  The  answer  is.  Think  of  God  in 
Christ.  You  can  conceive  of  Christ's  personality. 
Think  of  him.,  for  he  is  God.  Think  of  the  attri- 
butes which  he  displayed  and  the  virtues  which 
he  lived.  I  do  not  say  think  of  his  body,  but 
think  of  his  moral  qualities.  His  own  words  to 
those  who  are  reaching  after  just  conceptions  of 
God  are,  *'  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father." 


CHRIST'S   DEFINITION   OF   WORSHIP.  8 1 

(b.)  The  true  zvor shipper  must  know  God  as  a  spir- 
itual personality, 

"  God  is  a  Spirit."  Our  highest  idea  of  exist 
ence  is  existence  in  the  form  of  spirit.  We  con- 
trast spirit  with  body  because  that  which  is  body 
is  limited.  It  is  controlled  by  space.  When  we 
think  of  God  we  think  of  him  as  without  body, 
i.  e.,  uncontrolled  by  space  and  capable  of  possess- 
ing the  attributes  which  we  ascribe  to  him,  such 
as  omniscience,  omnipotence,  omnipresence.  We 
feel  the  weakness  of  human  language  to  explain 
what  God,  who  is  a  Spirit,  is.  Nevertheless  we 
are  capable  of  recognizing  and  understanding  him 
in  part.  We  understand  him  through  our  spirit, 
of  which  he  is  the  Father.  We  can  deal  with  spir- 
its because  we  have  spirits.  We  love  the  absent 
author  whom  we  have  never  seen,  and  hold  fellow- 
ship with  him.  Why  do  we  love  him?  For  his 
body's  sake  ?  No.  We  know  nothing  of  his  body. 
It  may  be  repulsive.  It  is  his  soul  that  we  love. 
His  soul  has  given  us  thoughts  which  thrill  us, 
and  we  are  conscious  of  the  tingle  of  pleasure 
within  our  souls.  The  attributes  of  the  man's 
spirit  are  what  vre  admire.  It  is  not  absurd  then 
to  call  us  to  worship  God,  who  is  a  Spirit ;  who  is 
like  the  better  part  of  man,  only  possessing  attri- 
butes which  are  perfect  and  infinite. 

(c.)  The  true  worshipper  must  knozu  God  the  Spirit- 
person  as  a  Father. 

Christ  says  the  spirit  of  a  father  is  a  revelation 
of  God.  The  doctrine  of  the  divine  Fatherhood  is 
peculiarly  the  revelation  of  Jesus.     In  speaking  of 

Studies   in    John'*   Gospel.  d,* 


82  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

him  in  his  relation  to  his  people  he  never  speaks 
of  him  save  as  "  tJie  Father y  Does  he  speak  of 
providence,  the  Father  directs  providence.  Does 
he  speak  of  worship,  the  Father  is  the  object  of 
worship.  The  great  defect  in  the  worship  of  man 
is  just  here :  worshippers  forget  and  lose  sight  of 
the  grand  doctrine  of  the  New  Testament  Dispen- 
sation, namely,  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  Conse- 
quently they  have  defective  views  of  God.  They 
have  God  before  them  as  an  infinite  Shylock,  a 
stern  judge,  and  they  are  afraid  of  him.  Their 
nature  closes  in  his  presence  as  the  sensitive  flower 
closes  in  the  storm.  The  cultivation  therefore  of 
the  filial  disposition  is  worship.  God  seeks  the 
worship  of  sons  and  not  of  criminals  and  slaves. 

Grasp  the  thought  of  God's  Fatherhood,  for 
this  is  the  starting-point  of  true  worship.  The 
thought  of  God's  Fatherhood  does  two  things. 

First,  It  makes  the  object  of  worship  intelligible 
to  the  mind.  Take  the  names  of  God  elsewhere 
used  :  infinite  Creator,  universal  Sovereign,  abso- 
lute Disposer.  What  finite  mind  can  understand 
these  ?  But  a  child  can  understand  what  a  father 
is. 

Second,  It  makes  the  object  of  worship  attract- 
ive. Creator,  Sovereign,  Judge — there  is  some- 
thing in  these  names  which  overawes  and  repels. 
But  the  name  of  ''  Father "  is  full  of  invitation. 
The  child  joyously  leaps  into  its  father's  arms. 
Even  the  Prodigal  Son  is  not  afraid  of  his  father : 
"I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father!"  It  was  the 
thought  of   his   father  that  brought   him   home 


CHRIST  S  DEFINITION   OF   WORSHIP.  83 

again.  You  are  familiar  with  the  story  of  Hector 
and  Andromache  and  their  little  son  Astyanax. 
The  war  was  raging ;  the  Greeks  had  walled  Troy 
round  about,  and  Hector  felt  it  his  duty  to  arm 
himself  in  full  panoply  and  go  without  the  walls 
and  meet  the  Greeks  in  hand-to-hand  combat. 
When  he  had  donned  his  full  regimentals  he  came 
to  take  his  farewell  of  Andromache  his  wife  and 
his  little  son  Astyanax,  whom  she  held  in  her 
arms.  As  he  approached  the  little  fellow  with 
outstretched  hands,  the  child,  instead  of  leaping 
towards  the  father,  screamed  and  shrank  back 
affrighted.  This  was  not  like  Astyanax.  Why 
the  change  ?  This  is  the  reason  :  the  warrior  con- 
ceals the  Hector.  The  coat  of  mail  and  the  flash- 
ing helmet  hide  the  father.  Seeing  this,  Hector 
threw  off  the  helmet  and  displaced  the  coat  of 
mail  and  approached  the  child  as  father  and  not 
as  warrior.  Then  the  little  fellov/  leaped  into  his 
arms  and  covered  him  with  kisses  and  caresses.  I 
would  have  you  use  the  story  as  a  parable  throw- 
ing light  upon  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  its  influ- 
ence upon  the  soul. 

We  cannot  overestimate  the  value  of  realizing 
this  truth.  It  changes  the  whole  nature  of  worship 
and  gives  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  means  of 
grace.  It  makes  these  the  medium  of  intercourse 
between  God  and  us.  It  makes  his  Word  our 
Father's  voice,  and  our  praise  the  child's  voice.  It 
makes  the  throne  of  grace  a  mutual  meeting-place. 
It  makes  all  nature  God's  temple,  filled  with  war- 
bling songs  and  thrilling  anthems.      When  one 


84  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

realizes  the  Fatherhood  of  God,  God  becomes  to 
him  a  veritable  personality  and  everything  in  the 
spiritual  life  becomes  real ;  prayer  becomes  real, 
praise  becomes  real,  trust  becomes  real,  security 
under  God's  care  becomes  real,  consciousness  of 
the  divine  presence  becomes  real,  and  heart-burn- 
insf  communion  with  God  becomes  real. 

speaking  of  this  treatise  of  Jesus  in  which  he 
sets  forth  God  the  Father  as  the  object  of  worship, 
Ernest  Renan  says,  "The  day  when  Jesus  pro- 
nounced this  word  he  was  truly  the  Son  of  God. 
He  spoke  for  the  first  time  the  sure  word  on  which 
the  edifice  of  eternal  religion  shall  rest.  He  found- 
ed the  pure  worship,  of  no  land,  of  no  date,  which 
all  lofty  souls  will  practise  to  the  end  of  time.  His 
religion  that  day  was  not  only  the  religion  good 
for  humanity,  it  was  absolute  religion ;  and  if  other 
planets  have  inhabitants  endowed  with  reason  and 
morality,  their  religion  can  be  no  other  than  that 
which  Jesus  proclaimed  at  the  well  of  Jacob.  The 
word  of  Jesus  has  been  a  gleam  in  a  dark  night. 
But  the  gleam  will  become  the  full  day,  and  after 
having  run  through  the  whole  circle  of  errors, 
mankind  will  return  to  that  word  as  the  imperish- 
able expression  of  its  faith  and  hope." 

2.   True  worship  has  its  seat  ifi  the  irmer  ma7i. 

Christ  has  thrown  worship  upon  the  heart  and 
soul.  Worship  is  the  overflowing  and  outgoing 
of  the  soul  to  God  in  homage  and  love  and  trust 
and  admiration  and  desire  and  praise.  There  is 
no  worship  in  the  mere  sounding  of  brass  or  tink- 
ling of  cymbals.     In  so  far  as  the  spiritual  part  of 


CHRIST'S   DEFINITION   OF   WORSHIP.  85 

our  nature  does  not  worship,  our  worship  is  of  no 
value.  Except  the  soul  is  in  exercise,  it  is  in  vain 
that  the  people  bow  the  head  like  a  bulrush  or  put 
on  sackcloth  and  ashes.  Such  worship  makes  the 
deity  a  senseless  idol  who  can  be  hoodv/inked  by- 
appearances.  God  has  always  sought  the  inner 
worship,  the  exercise  of  the  soul.  He  sought  it 
even  in  the  midst  of  the  ritualism  of  Judaism.  He 
said  of  formalists,  "  In  vain  do  this  people  draw 
near  to  me  with  their  lips  while  their  hearts  are 
far  from  me."  The  whole  of  the  fiftieth  Psalm  is 
one  long  protest  upon  the  part  of  God  against  for- 
malism. In  it  he  sets  realism  and  ritualism  against 
each  other,  and  says  that  one  cry  coming  from  the 
distressed  soul  of  the  child  of  God  and  sent  to  him 
in  faith  is  worth  all  the  ritual  in  existence.  In  this 
Psalm  he  rings  out  the  key-note  of  true  worship, 
namely,  "  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  spirit 
and  a  contrite  heart."  There  is  always  a  straight 
pathv/ay  to  heaven  for  the  cry  of  the  heart. 

There  is  a  closing  practical  question  which  I 
wish  to  press  home.     That  question  is  this : 

AM    I   A  TRUE   WORSHIPPER? 

My  fellow-worshipper,  with  you  and  me  that  is  the 
question  of  all  questions.  But  I  am  asked.  How 
shall  we  answer  it  ?  How  shall  we  ascertain  wheth- 
er or  no  we  are  true  w^orshippers  ?  What  does 
God  require  of  us  in  true  worship  ? 

God  requires  that  we  shall  bring  before  him  in 
worship  a  true  character.  The  self  of  the  worship- 
per is  part  of  worship.     Our  life  is  back  of  our  wor- 


86  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

ship.  Monday  and  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  and 
Thursday  and  Friday  and  Saturday  determine  our 
Sabbath.  Our  praises  and  our  prayers  do  not  rise 
above  the  level  of  our  daily  living.  For  true  wor- 
ship, the  worship  and  the  worshipper  must  har- 
monize. Worship  is  holy  ;  the  character  therefore 
of  the  worshipper  must  be  holy. 

How  clearly  this  is  brought  out  by  the  Hebrev/ 
Psalmist.  He  asks  this  question,  "  Who  shall  as- 
cend the  hill  of  the  Lord,  and  who  shall  abide  in 
his  presence?"  Then  he  goes  into  the  place  of 
business  and  into  the  social  circle  and  finds  the 
man  who  treats  his  neighbor's  reputation  aright 
and  who  handles  his  money  aright,  and  says, 
"  This  is  the  man." 

"Who,  O  Jehovah,  shall  be  a  guest  in  thy  tent  ? 
Who  shall  dwell  in  thy  holy  mountain  ? 
He  that  slandereth  not  with  his  tongue, 
That  doeth  no  evil  to  his  friend, 
Nor  taketh  up  a  scandal  against  his  neighbor. 
Despicable  in  his  sight  are  the  vile, 
But  those  that  fear  Jehovah  he  honoreth. 
He  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt  and  changeth  not ; 
His  silver  he  putteth  not  out  to  usury, 
Nor  taketh  a  bribe  against  the  innocent. 
He  that  doeth  these  things 
Shall  not  be  overthrown  for  ever." 

How  clearly  is  our  thought  brought  out  by  the 
chief  of  the  prophets  also.  Apparently  everything 
was  as  it  ought  to  be  in  Israel.  Their  profession 
was  grand,  their  creed  was  orthodox ;  they  made 
the  temple  echo  with  silvery  psalms,  they  kept  the 
altar  aflame  with  burnt  offerings,  and  they  filled  the 


CHRIST'S   DEFINITION   OF  WORSHIP.  8/ 

court  with  delightful  fragrance.  But  the  prophet 
upon  investigation  found  that  their  daily  life  was 
wretched.  It  was  full  of  violence  and  lies  and 
injustice.  They  measured  with  short  yardsticks 
and  weighed  with  false  balances  and  sold  with  a 
small  bushel-measure.  Making  this  discovery,  the 
prophet  stood  in  the  midst  of  his  countrymen  as 
they  gathered  for  worship  and  startled  them  with 
the  announcement,  ''  My  countrymen,  because  of 
your  false  life  your  worship  is  an  abomination  to 
the  holy  God."  He  proclaimed  to  them  and  to 
the  world  that  true  life  only  is  worship.  Wor- 
ship is  the  soul  honoring  God  in  everything  it 
does. 

Worshipper  in  the  house  of  God,  what  is  the 
character  of  your  general  life  ?  What  are  you  in 
the  home,  in  business,  in  society  ?  Answer  these 
questions  and  you  answer  the  question,  "  Am  I  a 
true  worshipper?" 


88  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


THE  FIVE  THOUSAND  FED. 

"  AXD   THEY   FILLED  TWELVE   BASKETS  WITH    THE   FRAGMENTS   OF 
THE   FIVE   BARLEY-LOAVES."— /oA«  6:13. 

The  evangelist  in  this  part  of  his  Gospel  adds 
miracle  to  miracle.  This  multiplication  of  mira- 
cles reminds  us  of  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration, 
where  Jesus  let  his  divine  splendor  break  forth 
unrestrained  in  magnificent  effulgence.  As  his 
glory  flashed  forth  on  Transfiguration  Mount  in 
wonderful  fulness,  so  in  this  chapter  of  gospel  his- 
tory his  divine  power  manifests  itself  in  great  ful- 
ness in  miraculous  deeds.  These  are  the  deeds 
which  filled  his  followers  with  wild  enthusiasm. 

The  miracle  recorded  especially  before  us  is 
such  as  we  would  expect  John  to  record.  It  is 
right  in  line  with  the  design  of  his  Gospel,  which 
sets  forth  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  and  makes 
it  clear  that  he  is  the  Son  of  God.  This  miracle 
shows  him  to  be  greater  than  the  forces  at  work  in 
the  wide  grain-fields.  He  is  able  to  do  in  an  in- 
stant what  it  takes  these  forces  whole  seasons  to 
do.  Grain-fields  can  give  bread  only  after  months 
of  hard  work-,  he  gives  bread  in  an  instant.  He 
can  make  bread  as  rapidly  as  his  will  can  issue  a 
decree.  The  forces  at  work  in  the  grain-fields  of 
nature  are  to  us  pictures  of  inconceivable  forces. 
He  is  mightier  than  these,  for  he  can  outdo  these. 

We  cannot  think  of  this  miracle  of  Christ  with- 


THE   FIVE   THOUSAND   FED.  89 

out  thinking  of  the  works  of  God  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. In  the  Old  Testament  God  is  set  forth  as 
miraculously  feeding  his  covenant  people  in  the 
desert  and  spreading  daily  a  table  for  thousands. 
He  is  also  represented  as  miraculously  multiplying 
the  meal  in  the  widow's  barrel  and  the  oil  in  the 
widow's  cruse.  Jesus  knew  all  this.  He  knew 
also  that  these  things  were  familiar  to  the  multi- 
tudes about  him.  He  now  performed  this  miracle 
that  men  might  see  that  he  was  one  with  the  God 
of  the  Old  Testament  whom  Israel  worshipped. 
If  he  is  one  with  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament, 
then  he  can  legitimately  claim  the  faith  and  wor- 
ship given  to  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament.  This 
miracle  prepared  the  way  for  the  words  he  was 
about  to  speak  and  emphasized  them,  ''  I  and  the 
Father  are  one."  It  is  a  legitimate  part  of  this 
Gospel,  which  was  meant  to  establish  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Son  of  God. 

THE   MIRACLE. 

The  miracle  is  recorded  by  all  of  the  evangel- 
ists. Is  there  anything  remarkable  in  this  ?  Yes. 
It  is  the  only  miracle  which  all  four  record.  Like 
the  stories  of  the  crucifixion  and  resurrection,  it  is 
repeated  four  times.  These  four  repetitions  mean 
that  it  is  worthy  of  particular  attention.  Christ 
himself  estimated  it  highly,  for  he  used  it  as  the 
basis  of  one  of  his  magnificent  discourses  in  which 
he  offered  himself  to  the  world  as  the  Bread  of 
Life. 

From  the  other  evangelists  we  learn  that  Christ 


90  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

had  witlidrawn  to  a  desert  place  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  rest  for  both  his  disciples  and  himself. 
His  disciples  had  just  returned  from  a  laborious 
missionary  tour,  and  he  himself  had  just  heard  of 
the  execution  of  his  friend  and  forerunner,  John 
the  Baptist.  Retirement  was  certainly  the  need 
of  the  hour.  But  the  multitudes  would  not  let 
him  retire.  They  followed  him  into  the  desert. 
As  it  was  about  the  tim^e  of  one  of  the  feasts,  and 
as  the  people  from  all  parts  of  the  land  were  on 
their  way  to  Jerusalem,  they  followed  him  by  thou- 
sands. He  looked  upon  their  presence  as  a  call 
from  his  Father  to  give  them  the  everlasting  truth, 
and  so  he  gave  up  the  idea  of  resting  and  took  up 
the  task  of  teaching  them.  It  is  probable  that  the 
miracle  of  multiplying  the  loaves  and  fishes  was 
wrought  at  the  end  of  the  first  day. 

The  greatness  of  the  miracle  is  set  forth  by  the 
remarks  of  the  disciples  when  Jesus  proposed  to 
feed  the  multitudes.  They  looked  at  the  proposal 
from  all  sides  and  pronounced  it  an  utter  impossi- 
bility. They  calculated  how  much  it  would  cost 
to  buy  provisions  for  them,  and  found  it  would 
take  more  money  than  they  had  in  their  treasury 
to  provide  even  a  mouthful  for  each  one  present. 
They  could  not  possibly  command  the  needed 
sum.  If  they  had  the  requisite  sum,  they  would 
have  to  scour  the  country  far  and  near  to  gather 
what  was  necessary.  The  only  provisions  at  hand 
were  what  an  enterprising  lad  had  brought  with 
an  eye  to  profit.  He  had  only  five  barley-loaves  or 
wafers  and  two  small  fishes.     One  of  the  disciples 


THE   FIVE   THOUSAND   FED.  91 

despairingly  referred  to  the  small  stock  which  the 
lad  had,  and  concluded  that  it  would  be  absurd  to 
try  and  feed  the  multitude  with  these. 

The  only  practical  plan  which  the  disciples 
could  think  of  was  to  send  the  people  away  and  let 
them  scatter  and  buy  for  themselves.  This  they 
proposed  to  Christ.  It  was  like  all  of  their  propo- 
sals :  it  was  away  below  his  ideal  and  purpose.  To 
Christ,  who  had  the  power  to  feed  them,  such  be- 
nevolence would  have  been  of  the  kind  which 
Jesus  speaks  against ;  a  benevolence  which  says, 
"  Be  ye  warmed  and  be  ye  filled,"  and  does  noth- 
ing ;  a  compassion  working  itself  out  only  in  good 
advice.  Good  advice  is  a  good  thing,  but  it  will 
not  satisfy  hunger.  It  will  not  pay  for  needed 
groceries.  It  will  not  square  back  rent  and  keep 
the  landlord  from  throwing  the  few  household 
effects  upon  the  sidewalk.  There  is  a  better  com- 
passion than  the  compassion  which  only  gives  ad- 
vice ;  it  is  the  compassion  which  feeds  and  clothes 
and  lends  a  helping  hand.  The  first  kind  is  the 
compassion  of  selfishness  ;  this  second  kind  is  the 
compassion  of  the  gospel.  There  is  more  gospel 
in  a  dollar  bill  than  a  whole  hour's  lecture  filled 
with  rules  of  economy  and  Scripture  quotations 
and  good  advice  generally,  when  the  sinner  whom 
you  are  lecturing  is  penniless  and  needs  material 
help.  In  the  exercise  of  benevolence  and  com- 
passion Christ  should  be  our  pattern.  He  shows 
us  that  compassion  should  be  expressed  in  living 
deeds.  Let  individual  Christians  follow  Christ; 
let  the  Church  as  an  organic  body  follow  Christ. 


92  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

When  this  is  done,  the  popular  charge  brought 
against  religion  will  be  taken  away,  namely,  that 
religion  is  exclusively  engaged  with  matters  of 
doctrine  and  theory  and  speculation  and  the  inner 
life  of  the  spirit,  and  that  it  has  little  interest  in 
the  material  welfare  of  men.  The  charge  is  that 
there  is  nothing  practical  in  it  for  poor,  sick,  dying 
humanity  needing  food  and  bread  and  sympathy. 
If  that  be  the  way  the  Christian  religion  appears 
to  the  world,  the  fault  is  not  in  the  Christian  reli- 
gion, but  in  the  men  who  profess  it.  Christianity 
is  not  responsible  for  the  life  of  every  miserly  man 
who  has  taken  on  him  the  name  of  Christ.  Such 
:men  are  not  the  exponents  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. Christ  himself  is  the  only  infallible  expo- 
nent. The  Christian  religion  must  be  judged  by 
Christ.  Look  at  Him  and  you  will  learn  what  he 
would  have  his  followers  be  and  do.  He  was  a 
continual  benefactor.  He  not  only  forgave  sins, 
but  he  healed  the  diseases  of  men.  He  went  to 
their  sick-rooms  and  met  them  by  the  graves  of 
their  dead.  It  is  said  that  once,  during  the  per- 
formance of  a  comedy  in  a  Roman  theatre,  one  of 
the  actors  gave  utterance  to  this  sentiment,  "  I  am 
a  man ;  therefore  nothing  that  is  human  can  be 
foreign  to  me."  The  audience  greeted  the  senti- 
ment with  thunders  of  applause.  If  this  man  was 
worthy  of  such  applause,  of  how  much  greater  ap- 
plause is  Jesus  worthy!  He  said  not  in  comedy, 
not  in  play,  but  in  real  life,  in  living  actions,  that 
he  had  a  heart  to  feel  for  every  woe  and  every 
need  of  humanity.    His  compassion  was  the  secret 


THE   FIVE   THOUSAND    FED.  93 

of  his  power  over  human  hearts.  He  was  not  only 
great  Intellect,  but  he  was  great  Heart.  The  men 
and  the  churches  that  are  devoid  of  a  practical 
sympathy  and  of  a  compassion  which  expresses 
itself  in  deeds  and  gifts  of  love,  misrepresent  him 
and  his  religion. 

Christ  would  rather  work  a  miracle  than  appear 
without  compassion.  He  did  work  a  miracle.  He 
commanded  his  disciples  to  seat  the  multitudes 
upon  the  grass  and  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
to  distribute  the  loaves  and  fishes.  They  felt 
themselves  so  helpless  to  feed  these  crowds  that 
this  command  seemed  like  foolishness  to  them. 
No  matter  what  they  thought ;  duty  is  not  deter- 
mined by  our  ability,  but  by  the  command  of  God. 
When  the  crowds  were  seated  in  orderly  compa- 
nies of  fifties  and  hundreds,  Christ  took  the  bread 
and  gave  thanks  to  God  for  it  and  asked  his  bless- 
ing upon  the  meal.  This  he  did  amid  a  deep 
solemnity  and  a  sacred  hush.  This  religious  ser- 
vice the  people  expected.  The  Jews  always  asked 
a  blessing  before  meals.  It  was  a  popular  saying 
among  them  that  he  who  enjoyed  anything  with- 
out thanksgiving  robbed  God.  The  blessing 
asi^ed,  Jesus  brake  the  bread  and  the  fishes  and 
gave  to  his  disciples  with  the  command  that  they 
distribute  them  among  the  people.  This  they  did. 
There  was  only  a  sm-all  cake  for  a  thousand  guests 
and  but  a  fragment  of  a  dried  fish ;  but  in  some 
mysterious  way  there  v/as  enough  to  go  round,  and 
all  ate  heartily  and  were  satisfied.  The  bread  and 
fishes  m.ultiplied  in  an  unexplainable  way.     When 


94  STUDIES    IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

the  meal  was  over  Christ  commanded  that  the 
fragments  be  gathered.  The  fragments  were  to 
be  the  palpable  evidence  of  the  miracle.  The 
gathering  of  them  was  also  intended  to  teach 
econom-y.  When  the  fragments  were  gathered 
everybody  saw  that  there  was  more  at  the  end  of 
the  meal  than  there  was  at  the  beginning.  Every 
one  saw  and  felt  that  a  notable  miracle  had  been 
wrought.  The  saying  that  passed  from  lip  to  lip 
was,  "  This  is  of  a  truth  that  prophet  that  should 
come  into  the  world."  Convinced  by  the  miracle 
that  he  was  the  Christ,  the  multitude  at  once  de- 
termined to  make  him  king.  When  Jesus  saw  the 
popular  purpose  he  compelled  his  disciples  to  take 
a  boat  and  cross  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  sea, 
and  he  himself  went  up  into  the  mountain  to 
spend  most  of  the  night  in  secret  prayer  and  in 
religious  retirement. 

There  are  two  points  which  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  notice : 

(a.)  Christ  docs  that  only  which  his  disciples  cannot 
do. 

He  expects  their  cooperation.  They  cannot 
multiply  the  loaves  and  fishes,  so  Christ  does  that. 
But  they  can  distribute  these  among  the  multi- 
tudes, so  Christ  does  not  do  that.  Man  can  sow 
the  seed  in  the  field,  so  God  does  not  do  that ;  man 
cannot  give  the  increase,  so  God  gives  that  when 
the  seed  is  sown.  In  the  great  sphere  of  religion 
God  does  that  which  we  cannot  do,  but  he  refuses 
to  do  that  which  we  can  do.  Are  we  doing  our 
part  ? 


THE   FIVE    THOUSAND    FED.  95 

(b.)  The  use  of  blessings  means  the  increase  of 
blessings. 

The  bread  multiplied  in  the  hands  of  the  disci- 
ples during  the  process  of  distribution.  This  is  an 
apt  symbol  of  what  takes  place  in  the  Christian 
life.  The  condition  of  increase  is  diffusion.  To 
impart  to  others  is  to  gain  for  one's  self.  Every 
honest  effort  to  bring  some  other  human  heart 
into  possession  of  Christ's  love  deepens  our  own 
sense  of  its  preciousness.  Every  attempt  to  lead 
some  other  mind  to  the  perception  of  the  truth 
helps  us  to  understand  it  better  ourselves.  If  you 
would  learn,  teach.     If  you  would  get,  give. 

THE   PRACTICAL  TEACHINGS. 

I.    The  God  of  redemption  is  the  God  of  nature. 

One  and  the  same  God  works  in  both  spheres. 
This  is  what  Jesus  proves  and  demonstrates  by 
this  miracle.  We  need  this  point.  It  comforts  us 
in  two  ways.  It  comforts  us  when  we  look  at 
nature,  and  it  comforts  us  when  we  look  at  re- 
demption. 

Deal  with  nature  for  a  moment.  When  God 
created  the  universe  he  did  not  leave  it.  This  is 
the  feeble  philosophy  of  some,  but  it  is  not  the 
teaching  of  this  Book.  It  is  not  the  philosophy 
which  makes  nature  a  temple  and  man  a  worship- 
per. Is  it  not  a  comfort  to  know  that  the  mighty 
forces  of  nature  which  terrify  us  are  all  under  the 
control  of  our  best  Friend  ?  Is  it  not  a  comfort  to 
think  that  there  is  love  and  intention  in  every- 
thing which  takes  place  in  nature  ?    The  clouds  are 


96  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    COSPEL. 

God's  chariot  and  the  winds  his  steeds.  He  rides 
the  storm  and  holds  and  handles  the  reins.  He 
kindles  the  subterranean  fires  and  orders  the  earth- 
quakes. He  timed  the  explosion  which  rent  the 
rocks  asunder  and  shook  the  earth  when  his  Son 
was  dying  on  Calvary.  He  meant  the  great  rents 
in  the  rocks  of  Palestine  to  remain,  as  they  do  this 
day,  the  witnesses  of  Christ.  Let  me  give  one 
illustration  to  show  the  comfort  coming  from  the 
thought  that  the  God  of  redem.ption  is  the  ruling 
power  in  nature,  and  that  this  God  of  redemption 
is  the  God  of  love  as  well  as  of  power.  The  illus- 
tration is  suggested  by  the  fact  that  Jesus  in  his 
compassion  multiplied  bread  for  the  hungry.  Look 
at  the  little  seed.  The  whole  future  food  of  the 
world  is  wrapped  up  in  that  little  delicate  thing. 
It  looks  like  an  awful  risk  to  wrap  up  the  food  of 
the  future  in  it.  What  is  there  that  keeps  us  from 
sore  foreboding  and  apprehension?  It  is  the 
thought  that  God  is  with  the  little  seed.  It  is  the 
thought  that  the  same  Power  which  multiplied  the 
loaves  in  the  desert  can  multiply  it  according  to 
his  good  pleasure.  Our  covenant  God  has  wrapped 
up  our  food  in  the  delicate  little  seed.  This  is  the 
plan  of  infinite  love  and  pov/er.  God  steps  out  of 
nature  in  the  person  of  his  Son,  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  thousands  of  witnesses  wields  the  powers 
of  nature  and  makes  them  produce  bread  on  the 
spot,  that  we  may  see  that  he  is  the  Lord  of  nature 
and  that  therefore  all  our  interests  in  nature  are 
safe. 

The  fact  that  the  God  of  redemption  is  the 


THE   FIVE    THOUSAND    FED.  97 

God  of  nature  comforts  us  when  we  deal  with  re- 
demption. It  wheels  all  the  powers  of  nature  into 
line  with  our  spiritual  interests.  It  centres  these 
all  in  Christ,  who  came  to  save  us.  It  makes  him 
a  mighty  Saviour,  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost 
all  who  come  unto  him.  Frequently  do  the  psalmaS 
of  the  church  take  us  to  nature  to  see  God  there  in 
his  overmastering-  majesty  and  power.  When  we 
are  impressed  with  his  greatness  they  tell  us  that 
this  God  is  our  God,  and  we  can  trust  in  him  and 
rest  in  him  with  perfect  peace. 

2.    We  should  ask  God's  blessing  upon  our  food. 

Christ  asked  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  meal 
which  fed  the  multitudes.  This  he  did  before  any 
of  the  company  had  partaken.  In  this  he  places 
before  us  an  example.  It  is  a  helpful  exercise  to 
ask  God's  blessing  upon  our  food,  in  that  it  culti- 
vates the  spirit  of  thankfulness  and  a  sense  of 
God's  thoughtfulness  and  care  over  us.  God  is 
worthy  of  this  honor. 

God  gave  us  the  sense  of  taste  just  as  he  gave 
us  the  sense  of  sight,  and  as  he  has  provided  the 
world  of  beauty  with  its  endless  varieties  to  satisfy 
and  please  the  sense  of  sight,  so  has  he  provided 
the  world  of  flavor  v/ith  its  distinct  varieties  to 
please  and  satisfy  the  sense  of  taste.  If  you  Vvdll 
agree  as  members  of  families  to  talk  about  every- 
thing that  comes  on  your  tables  for  a  week,  j'ou 
will  be  surprised  to  fmd  how  much  your  table  tells 
you  God  has  done  for  you.  Take  each  article  of 
food  by  itself.  The  history  of  the  apple,  for  ex- 
ample, which  you  see  before  you  would  be  topic 

8lU;i'.i!S  In  J.il.n's  Gospel.  5 


98  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

enough  for  one  meal.  God  works  long  and  care- 
fully in  making  every  apple  which  we  eat.  He 
builds  up  a  large  tree  for  the  purpose  of  making 
it.  The  energy  and  life  of  root  and  trunk  and 
branch  all  go  into  it.  Sunshine  and  air  and  dew 
and  soil  all  contribute  to  its  construction.  All 
these  work  according  to  God's  plan.  And  why 
does  God  build  up  the  apple  ?  That  we  may  have 
it  as  food  to  enjoy.  When  we  study  the  history  of 
our  daily  food  we  see  God  at  work  for  us  in  the 
waters  of  the  earth,  in  the  beasts  of  the  field,  in 
the  clouds,  in  the  sun,  and  in  the  soil.  The  food 
upon  our  tables  is  the  result  of  the  mighty  work- 
ing of  this  busy  w^orld  of  ours,  and  in  many  respects 
it  is  the  sum  total  of  its  mighty  powder.  Food  is 
nature  on  its  march  to  the  highest  forms  of  life. 
Food  is  nature  entering  into  man  that  it  may  pass 
into  thought  and  worship.  Our  daily  meals  bring 
us  wonderful  messages  from  God.  Every  flavor 
speaks  of  a  separate  plan  of  his  and  of  a  separate 
pleasure  which  he  wishes  to  give  us.  To  show  us 
how  willing  he  is  that  we  shall  eat  and  be  satisfied, 
he  tempts  our  appetites  by  putting  his  fruits  in 
beautiful  wrappings.  He  uses  all  colors  and  blends 
them  in  beautiful  perfection.  Purple  and  green 
and  golden  and  crimson,  all  these  are  found  in  the 
fruits  of  the  earth.  Does  God  in  this  way  speak 
to  us  by  our  tables ;  does  he  thus  assure  us  of  his 
love  and  forethought  and  desire  concerning  us? 
He  does,  and  in  so  doing  he  puts  us  under  obliga- 
tion to  give  him  our  love  and  our  gratitude.  It  is 
a  duty  to  recognize  him  at  our  daily  meals  as  the 


THE    FIVE   THOUSAND    FED.  99 

Giver  of  good  gifts.  It  is  our  duty  to  thank  him 
for  our  appetites  and  for  our  health.  It  is  our 
privilege  to  seek  his  blessing  and  to  ask  him  for 
renewed  consecration.  Prayerlessness  at  the  table 
of  the  man  who  believes  that  God  has  spread  his 
table  is  a  gross  inconsistency. 

3.  Fragments  are  zvorth  gathering. 

It  would  have  been  a  great  mistake  for  the  dis- 
ciples of  Christ  not  to  have  gathered  the  frag- 
ments after  the  miraculous  meal.  They  would 
not  have  known  how  great  the  miracle  was.  The 
fragments  were  greater  than  the  original  supply. 
The  fragments  amounted  to  twelve  basketfuls. 
How  often  is  it  the  case  in  life  that  the  fragment 
hours  amount  to  more  than  full  days.  How  often 
have  men  made  themselves  by  using  well  the  frag- 
ments of  time.  We  do  not  value  Hugh  Miller  as 
a  stone-mason  ;  we  value  him  for  his  literary  works. 
Let  it  be  remembered  that  he  raised  himself  from 
a  stone-cutter,  first  to  a  geologist  and  afterwards  to 
a  man  of  letters,  by  the  diligent  use  of  fragment 
moments.  Fragment  moments  of  study  were  worth 
more  than  his  whole  days  of  stone-cutting.  We 
value  Michael  Faraday  not  as  a  bookbinder,  but  as 
a  scientist.  But  how  did  he  become  a  scientist  ? 
By  using  his  fragment  hours  in  reading  chemical 
books  and  making  electrical  machines.  These 
hours  did  more  than  outweigh  the  days  of  book- 
binding. We  do  not  value  David  as  a  shepherd  ; 
we  value  him  as  a  musician.  David's  harp  was 
his  great  power.  It  opened  the  way  for  him  into 
the  king's  palace.     It   identified  his  name  with 


lOO  STUDIES   IX   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

church  music  for  all  time.  But  David's  skill  in 
the  use  of  the  harp  was  the  outcome  of  his  frag- 
ment hours.  When  the  sheep  were  safely  folded 
his  time  was  devoted  to  the  harp.  You  know  the 
value  of  these  fragment  hours  spent  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  music.  There  is  a  window  in  one  of  the 
cathedrals  of  the  Old  World  which  is  noted  and 
popular.  It  was  made  by  an  apprentice  in  the  shop 
of  a  glazier.  That  window,  it  is  said,  filled  the 
master  of  the  shop  with  grief,  because  it  showed 
that  his  under-workman  was  superior  to  him.  But 
what  made  the  grief  more  poignant  was  this :  the 
apprentice  made  the  famous  window  out  of  broken 
fragments  rejected  and  cast  away  in  the  shop.  We 
have  had  illustration  enough  to  exalt  the  value  of 
fragments.  What  we  want  is  to  ask  ourselves, 
What  are  we  doing  with  our  fragments  ?  Are  we 
gathering  and  using  them?  The  fragments  left 
from  the  dollar  after  w^e  have  made  the  requisite 
purchase  would  make  a  fine  missionary  contribu- 
tion. Coming  in  week  by  week  they  would  make 
dollars.  The  fragment  of  the  day,  after  the  shop 
or  store  or  school  is  closed,  would  tell  in  the  study 
of  the  Sabbath-school  lesson  or  in  reading  of 
Church  history  or,  if  you  have  a  voice  for  singing, 
in  the  cultivation  of  church  music.  Basketfuls  on 
basketfuls  of  means  would  be  the  result  if  the  Sab- 
bath-school had  the  fragment  coin  spent  in  the 
sample -room  and  the  cigar -store,  spent  on  dys- 
pepsia nicknacks  and  ridiculous  gewgaws.  Men 
of  talent  and  women  of  influence  would  fill  our 
churches  if  the  hours  wasted  in  frivolity  and  idle 


THE   FIVE   THOUSAND    FED.  lOI 

gossip  were  spent  in  eager  research  after  truth 
and  in  healthful  study.  These  hours  could  be  thus 
devoted,  and  there  would  still  be  time  enough  for 
work  and  play.  What  Vv^e  want  to  impress  upon 
our  youth  is  this :  Fragments  are  fortunes  when 
they  are  carefully  gathered. 


I02  STUDIES  IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  THE  BREAD  OF  LIFE. 

"And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the  bread  of  life." 
—Johnd-.i^. 

By  six  monosyllabic  words  lie  sets  himself  be- 
fore the  world.  This  is  a  specimen  of  masterly 
condensation.  Only  six  words,  and  the  supreme 
need  of  humanity  defined !  Only  six  words,  and 
the  paramount  duty  of  the  human  race  set  forth ! 
Only  six  words,  and  the  absolute  claims  of  the 
Son  of  God  asserted ! 

The  text  is  a  simile,  a  parable,  an  analogue,  a 
type.  Into  any  of  these  forms  of  speech  a  think- 
ing mind  can  pack  a  world  of  truth.  We  might 
liken  the  text  to  a  drusic  stone,  which  is  a  striking 
formation  found  among  the  rocks  of  nature.  Mac- 
Millan  tells  us  that  in  picking  up  one  of  these  we 
pick  up  a  rough,  ordinary,  boulder-like  stone  and 
expect  little  from  it.  But  when  it  is  cleft  in  twain, 
behold  a  marvellous  sight!  The  commonplace 
boulder  is  a  hollow  sphere  lined  with  beautiful 
crystals,  which  carry  in  them  the  glorious  colors 
of  sunrise.  The  text  is,  in  the  world  of  truth, 
what  the  drusic  stone  is  among  the  rocks.  When 
its  interior  is  broken  up  by  study  and  prayer  and 
believing,  we  find  in  it  thoughts  and  facts  which 
are  valuable  and  as  beautiful  as  gold  and  onyx 
and  sapphire  and  emerald. 

.  In  dealing  with  this  description  which  Christ 


CHRIST   THE   BREAD    OF   LIFE.  IC3 

gives  of  himself  we  must  not,  by  literalness,  let 
the  figure  which  he  uses  confuse  us.  We  must 
not  take  his  words  as  though  he  taught  literal  can- 
nibalism. This  is  the  instruction  which  he  gives 
us  at  the  close  of  his  discourse.  He  says  ''  the  let- 
ter killeth,  but  the  spirit  giveth  life."  The  men 
who  heard  him  interpreted  his  words  literally,  and 
asked  the  question,  ''  How  can  he  give  us  his  flesh 
to  eat?"  They  recoiled  from  the  thought  of  eat- 
ing his  flesh  and  drinking  his  blood,  and  they  for- 
sook him.  This  led  Christ  to  say,  "  Strive  to  catch 
the  spirit  and  meaning  of  my  figure ;  forget  the 
figure  itself  by  centring  your  minds  on  the  ideas 
which  it  sets  forth;  when  you  grasp  the  idea 
which  it  contains,  it  will  be  eternal  life  to  you." 
While  the  language  of  Christ  is  highly  figurative, 
the  idea  which  he  sets  forth  is  perfectly  clear.  It 
is  this :  He  is  to  the  soul  of  man  what  bread  is  to 
the  body  of  man.  He  teaches  us  that  the  soul  has 
hunger  just  as  the  body  has,  and  that  it  must  be 
fed.  All  life  must  be  fed.  The  bodily  life  must 
be  fed  with  the  fruits  of  the  earth ;  the  social  life 
must  be  fed  with  friendships  and  family  affec- 
tions ;  the  business  life  must  be  fed  with  the  com- 
petition of  trade  and  the  hope  of  gain ;  the  intel- 
lectual life  must  be  fed  with  knowledge.  But 
there  is  a  higher  life,  the  soul-life.  With  what 
must  it  be  fed  ?  It  must  be  fed  with  Christ,  with 
his  experience,  v/ith  his  personality,  and  with  his 
life.  By  faith  in  him  we  must  feast  and  nourish 
our  souls  on  what  he  is  and  what  he  says  and 
what  he  does — on   his   character,  his    words,  his 


104  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

sacrifice.  Our  souls  must  appropriate  Christ  as 
our  body  appropriates  food. 

We  are  familiar  with  the  figure  which  Christ 
uses ;  let  us  therefore  read  into  it  simply  what  we 
are  accustomed  to  read  into  it.  Vv^e  say  that  the 
tree  eats  air  and  light  and  drinks  in  the  rain.  We 
talk  of  devouring  a  book,  of  drinking  in  knowl- 
edge, of  feasting  upon  a  friend,  of  relishing  a 
poem  or  a  discussion.  The  figure  on  the  lips  of 
Christ  is  not  a  strange  one ;  it  is  not  even  a  new 
one.  We  meet  with  it  in  the  Old  Testament.  We 
are  exhorted  ''to  taste  and  see  that  God  is  good." 
We  are  invited  by  Wisdom  "  to  come  and  eat  of 
her  bread  and  drink  of  the  wine  which  she  has 
mingled."  God  is  said  ''to  satisfy  the  longing 
soul  and  to  fill  the  hungry  soul  with  goodness." 
The  only  thing  that  is  new  in  the  words  of  Christ 
is  this :  Christ  declares  that  he  is  the  food  of  the 
soul,  and  that  he  alone  can  satisfy  its  hunger. 

As  we  cannot  in  one  study  set  forth  all  the 
points  of  analogy  between  Christ  and  bread,  let  us 
confine  our  thinking  to  two  points  in  the  analogy. 

I.   AS  BREAD  SATISFIES  THE  HUNGER  OF  THE  BODY, 
CHRIST  Sx\TISFIES  THE  HUNGER  OF  THE  SOUL. 

There  is  a  soul-hunger  in  humanity,  and  the 
evidences  of  it  are  everywhere.  Look  at  these 
evidences !  Humanity  is  cross  and  irritable.  This 
is  the  evidence  of  hunger.  When  the  child  is 
hungry,  it  is  cross  and  irritable ;  so  it  is  with  the 
race.  When  the  child  is  full  and  satisfied,  it  is 
good-natured ;  so  it  is  with  the  race.     The  reign 


CHRIST  THE   BREAD   OF   LIFE.  I05 

of  sensuality  among  men  proves  the  hunger  of  the 
soul.  Sensuality  is  the  double  feeding  of  the  body. 
It  makes  the  body  do  double,  in  hope  that  this  will 
act  as  a  substitute  for  feeding  the  soul.  Excess, 
extravagance,  luxury,  large  fortunes  stored  away, 
greedy  monopolies,  all  these  are  the  evidences  of 
soul-hunger.  Envy,  pride,  remorse,  carking  care, 
anxiety,  disgust,  fears,  all  these  are  evidences  of 
soul-hunger.  Alexander  weeping  because  there 
are  no  worlds  to  conquer  and  fretting  at  the 
course  of  providence;  Solomon  flying  from  one 
great  thing  of  earth  to  another  great  thing,  and 
complaining  of  the  emptiness  of  life  and  asking 
the  question,  Is  life  worth  living?  —  what  are 
these  but  the  evidences  of  soul-hunger  ?  But  per- 
haps you  ask  me.  How  do  you  know  that  these 
are  the  evidences  of  soul-hunger  ?  The  process  of 
reaching  this  conclusion  is  a  very  simple  one.  I 
contrast  the  men  in  whom  these  things  are  found 
with  the  men  who  feed  upon  Christ  and  whose 
souls  are  satisfied.  These  things  are  absent  from 
the  men  who  make  Christ  their  portion.  The 
men  who  live  in  the  land  of  Beulah,  and  look  at 
life  from  the  summit  of  Mt.  Delectable,  never  take 
up  the  cry  of  vanity  nor  ask  the  question.  Is  life 
worth  living  ?  To  them  life  on  earth  is  sublime,  a 
magnificent  gift  from  God.  Their  life  is  not 
spoiled  by  envy  and  remorse  and  carking  care. 
They  do  not  have  to  tax  their  body  double.  They 
delight  themselves  in  God,  and  he  has  given  them 
the  desires  of  the  heart.  They  are  filled  with  the 
foretastes  and  anticipation  of  heaven.  In  the 
5* 


I06  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

words  of  Scripture,  "  They  have  tasted  the  good 
word  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the  world  to 
come."  This  is  the  point  before  us:  There  is  a 
soul-hunger,  and  Christ  satisfies  that  hunger. 

(a.)  He  satisfies  the  hunger  of  the  intellect. 

The  intellect  wants  definite  knowledge,  and 
Christ  gives  that.  Paul  tells  us  of  the  excellency 
of  the  knowledge  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  Christ 
answers  the  questions  which  are  uppermost  in  the 
minds  of  men.  Bancroft  says  that  the  questions 
which  the  Indians  asked  Eliot  the  missionary 
were  the  very  questions  which  the  Greek  philoso- 
phers discussed.  Christ  answers  these  questions 
which  trouble  the  race.  We  want  to  know  who 
we  are.  He  tells  us  that.  He  sets  before  us  our 
potentialities.  He  tells  us  of  our  body  and  teaches 
us  how  to  estimate  this.  He  opens  up  the  nature 
of  the  soul  and  discourses  on  its  endless  life.  He 
brands  as  false  the  theory  of  the  materialist  that 
in  death  the  soul  becomes  as  unconscious  as  the 
grave  dust. 

We  want  to  know  our  destiny,  and  he  teaches 
us  that  our  character  will  settle  our  destiny.  We 
want  to  know  of  God,  and  how  to  get  into  true  re- 
lation with  God,  and  he  tells  us  this.  He  reveals 
God  as  our  Father.  He  bases  his  own  earthly  life 
upon  the  Fatherhood  of  God,  and  lives  it  from  be- 
ginning to  end  consistently  upon  the  filial  idea. 
As  a  boy  he  starts  forth  with  a  grasp  upon  the 
Fatherhood  of  God  :  "  I  must  be  about  my  Father's 
business."  He  maintains  this  grasp  when  he  en- 
ters the  dark  and  Xxy'va^  places  of  life.     In  the 


CHRIST   THE   BREAD   OF   LIFE.  lO/ 

agony  of  Gethsemane  it  is  **  Father,  not  my  will, 
but  thine,  be  done."  He  maintains  his  grasp  upon 
God's  Fatherhood  to  the  very  end.  In  the  conflict 
with  death  it  is,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  com- 
mend my  spirit."  Christ  gives  us  the  grandest 
and  fullest  revelation  of  God,  and  he  puts  that 
revelation  into  one  word,  ''  Father." 

Christ  never  refuses  to  answer  the  serious  and 
earnest  questions  of  the  human  mind.  So  anxious 
is  he  to  give  needed  knowledge  that  he  purposely 
calls  out  questions  that  he  may  answer  them. 
Christianity  means  education.  Christianity  means 
mental  triumphs.  Christian  civilization  is  a  dis- 
tinct and  recognized  factor  in  the  world.  Let  us 
not  overlook  Christ's  method  in  giving  knowl- 
edge. His  style  is  succint.  His  teaching  is  semi- 
nal.' His  sayings  are  roots  and  seeds,  not  full- 
bloomed  gardens.  It  takes  ages  to  grow  them. 
His  style  is  lucid  and  attractive.  He  makes  truth 
live  in  thrilling  similes  'and  talking  pictures.  He 
throws  golden  visions  into  the  darkened  mind, 
just  as  in  nature  he  throws  the  sunburst  of  the 
morning  into  the  dark  night.  He  brings  magnifi- 
cent conceptions  out  of  the  realm  of  the  abstract, 
and  gives  them  a  body  so  that  we  can  see  them 
and  feel  them.  There  is  no  grander  conception 
than  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  But  see !  He  puts 
that  before  us  in  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son, 
and  even  the  little  child  sees  it  and  feels  it.  But 
above  and  beyond  all  this,  in  giving  us  knowledge 
he  translates  truth  into  incarnate  principles.  That 
is,  he  lives  it. 


I08  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

His  life  is  knowledge  and  truth,  and  by  deal- 
ing with  his  life  we  get  at  the  facts  we  want  to 
know.  Take  one  illustration.  Look  at  the  future 
as  it  is  revealed  in  his  life.  I  can  make  a  meal  of 
that  future ;  nay,  more,  I  feast  upon  the  future  as  I 
see  it  in  his  life.  I  love  to  dwell  upon  certain 
scenes  in  his  life:  upon  the  transfiguration,  his 
resurrection,  his  ascension.  His  empty  tomb,  his 
ascension,  his  glorified  body — these  satisfy  me. 
They  satisfy  me,  not  merely  because  they  reveal 
what  Christ  is,  but  because  they  open  to  me  my 
future  as  a  child  of  God.  I  shall  be  like  him,  for 
I  shall  see  him  as  he  is.  Intellectually  Christ  sat- 
isfies us.  We  shall  be  satisfied  to  be  like  him  in 
our  thinking,  to  hold  the  doctrines  which  he  holds, 
to  have  his  views  of  God  and  of  this  life  and  of 
the  future,  and  to  be  swayed  by  his  conceptions 
and  estimates  of  things. 

(b.)  He  satisfies  the  hunger  of  the  cojiscience. 

The  conscience  is  too  large  a  part  of  the  soul 
to  be  overlooked.  A  noted  thinker  has  shrewdly 
and  wisely  said,  "  Man  is  built  up  around  a  con- 
science." We  know  one  thing,  and  that  is  this,  no 
power  so  sways  a  man  as  the  power  of  conscience. 
A  tormented  conscience  means  hell.  A  conscience 
cleansed  by  the  blood  of  Christ  means  heaven. 
The  imperative  need  of  man's  life  is  to  get  a  con- 
science full  of  peace.  In  a  threefold  way  Christ 
satisfies  the  conscience. 

His  holy  teachings  satisfy  the  conscience. 
Take  the  sermon  upon  the  mount.  The  purest 
conscience  can  delight  in  it.     The  sermon,  by  its 


CHRIST   THE   BREAD    OF    LIFE.  IO9 

breadth  and  spirituality  and  practicality,  educates 
the  conscience  and  enlightens  it.  It  make  com- 
mon and  conventional  moralities  hideous. 

The  life  he  lived  satisfies  the  conscience. 
When  conscience  searches  his  life  through  and 
through,  it  finds  that  he  lived  his  own  teachings. 
It  finds  a  rhythmic  consistency  in  his  life.  He  who 
said,  *'  Pray  for  them  that  persecute  you,"  prayed 
for  his  enemies  when  they  nailed  him  to  the  cross. 
Conscience  finds  in  him  all  the  graces  which  he 
inculcates.  It  finds  in  him  moral  beauty,  conscien- 
tiousness, holiness  of  soul,  pure  and  Godlike  think- 
ing, love  of  truth,  freedom  from  carnality,  and 
heavenly  ideals.  His  character  stands  as  the  great 
power  and  defence  of  our  religion.  Infidelity  may 
build  up  fortresses  against  Christianity  out  of  our 
inconsistencies,  it  may  spike  the  guns  of  apolo- 
gists, but  the  holy  and  perfect  character  of  Christ 
is  a  bulwark  against  w^hich  it  breaks  itself  in  pieces 
every  time  it  clashes  with  it.  The  world  has  never 
knov/n  its  equal.  It  is  far  above  the  sweep  even  of 
the  imagination  of  those  who  deal  in  fiction  and 
ideals.  The  writers  of  fiction  are  building  charac- 
ters every  day,'  but  even  with  his  character  before 
them  they  cannot  produce  its  equal.  Like  the  rain- 
bow, w^hich  is  the  blending  of  all  colors  of  light,  his 
character  is  the  blending  of  all  moral  and  spiritual 
virtues  and  graces.  His  character  is  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  law,  and  affords  a  perpetual  delight  to 
God,  who  looks  it  through  and  through  with  an 
omniscient  eye.  Well  then  may  it  delight  and 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  conscience. 


no  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

His  sacrifice  for  sin  satisfies  the  human  con- 
science. Nothing  else  does  or  can  satisfy  a  sin- 
stricken  conscience.  The  condemning  conscience 
sees  him  as  its  sin-bearer  paying  its  debt  and 
bearing  its  penalty.  It  sees  itself  in  him  as  he 
goes  to  the  cross.  It  sees  Christ  taking  its  law- 
place  and  dying  as  the  sinner's  surety.  It  hears 
with  a  bound  of  joy  his  shout,  *'//  is  finished !''  for 
by  that  shout  it  learns  that  God  has  accepted  the 
satisfaction  which  the  surety  has  made.  Paul 
knew  the  blessedness  of  this  truth  and  the  value 
of  Christ  as  a  sin-offering.  Realizing  his  oneness 
with  Christ  on  the  cross,  and  feeling  the  thrill  of 
peace  and  joy  which  comes  to  the  forgiven  soul 
and  to  the  satisfied  conscience,  he  raised  the  com- 
panion shout  of  the  spiritual  victor,  "There  is 
therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are 
in  Christ  Jesus."  That  shout  of  the  believer 
matches  well  the  shout  of  Christ,  ''  It  is  finished!" 
Since  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  satisfies  the  righteous- 
ness of  God,  well  may  the  demands  of  the  human 
conscience  be  satisfied  with  it  and  rest  in  it. 

(c.)  He  satisfies  the  hunger  of  the  heart. 

The  human  heart  craves  love  and  the  assu- 
rances of  love,  companionship  and  the  sympathies 
of  companionship.  These  things  it  finds  in  Christ. 
He  addresses  himself  to  the  heart  as  much  as  to 
the  intellect.  Who  ever  spoke  words  equal  to  his  ? 
Who  ever  sacrificed  for  friends  as  he  sacrificed  for 
his  ?  Who  ever  gave  sympathy  like  his  sympathy  ? 
You  cannot  match  his  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 


CHRIST   THE   BREAD   OF   LIFE.  Ill 

rest,"  or  his  '*  In  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions."  You  cannot  match  his  sacrifice  of  the 
glories  of  heaven  for  a  season  and  his  death  upon 
the  cross  for  his  friends.  You  cannot  match  his 
groaning  of  spirit  and  his  tears  of  sympathy  at 
Bethany.  You  cannot  match  his  companionship 
with  his  disciples.  He  goes  with  them  to  their 
wedding  scenes,  he  meets  with  them  at  their 
graves.  He  not  only  goes  with  them  but  takes 
them  with  him.  He  takes  them  with  him  into 
the  wilderness  to  rest,  he  admits  them  into  his 
solitudes,  he  instructs  them  secretly  and  opens  to 
them  the  great  purpose  of  his  life.  He  allows 
John  to  recline  upon  his  bosom,  and  he  makes  the 
chosen  three  his  companions  when  he  enters  the 
glories  of  his  transfiguration.  The  heart  of  man 
yearns  for  companionship.  Jesus  offers  it  the 
companionship  of  heaven,  which  means  the  com- 
pany of  God  and  the  holy  angels  and  the  re- 
deemed from  every  nation  of  the  earth.  The 
heart  of  man  craves  love.  Jesus  offers  it  his  own 
intense  love,  and  the  love  of  the  Father  which  is 
equally  intense.  He  offers  the  soul  of  man  the 
heart  of  God  as  its  eternal  home.  If  the  infinite 
love  of  God  cannot  satisfy  the  heart  of  man,  the 
heart  of  man  cannot  be  satisfied.  But  it  does  sat- 
isfy man.  Paul  acting  as  man's  representative 
makes  this  clear  in  the  eighth  chapter  of  Romans. 
In  this  self-contained  chapter  he  places  before  the 
believer  his  security  and  his  privileges.  He  be- 
gins with  "  No  condemnation,"  and  he  closes  with 
"No  separation."     He  ends  with  the  love  of  God 


112  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

that  is  all  -  satisfying  and  eternal.  This  is  his 
closing  sentence,  and  every  word  in  it  breathes  a 
serene  satisfaction  :  "  I  am  persuaded  that  neither 
life  nor  death,  nor  angels  nor  principalities  nor 
powers,  nor  things  present  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
height  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

II.      AS  BREAD  BECOMES  LIFE  TO  THE  BODY,  CHRIST 
BECOMES  LIFE  TO  THE  SOUL. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  bread  we  eat  and 
masticate  and  digest  becomes  a  part  of  the  body 
and  even  the  life  of  the  body.  This  is  one  of 
God's  mysteries  which  we  do  not  attempt  to  ex- 
plain. It  is  enough  for  us  to  see  that  it  is  a  fact. 
"  The  bread  that  is  eaten  to-day  does  not  remain 
bread.  It  turns  to  flesh  and  blood  and  bone.  It  is 
converted  into  nerve  force  and  muscular  energy, 
into  heart-beats  and  hand-movements,  into  the 
far-sightedness  of  a  Herschel,  into  the  benevolent 
activities  of  a  Howard,  into  human  life.  The 
bread  of  yesterday  is  the  myriad-hued,  the  myriad- 
sided  life  of  to-day.  It  is  the  eloquence  of  the 
orator  and  the  strength  of  the  drayman.  It  is  the 
skill  of  the  artist  and  the  energy  of  the  plough- 
man." 

Now  this  transmutation  of  bread  into  life  has 
its  analogy  in  Christ  when  he  is  received  by  faith 
into  the  soul.  He  becomes  honesty  and  truthful- 
ness and  praise  and  benevolence  and  self-sacrifice 
and  sympathy  and  purity.     The  Christ-possessed 


CHRIST    THE   BREAD    OF   LIFE.  II 3 

soul  says  with  Paul,  ''  The  life  which  I  live  in  the 
flesh  I  live  by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God.  It  is  no 
longer  I  that  live,  but  Christ  w^ho  liveth  in  me." 
When  we  talk  about  Christ  entering  into  his 
people  and  becoming  their  life,  w^e  are  not  talking 
of  a  fancy  or  a  fiction,  but  of  a  fact.  We  know 
that  one  spirit  dwxlls  in,  and  lives  through,  an- 
other. W"e  talk  of  the  general  living  in  his  army. 
He  has  the  power  of  filling  the  souls  of  his  soldiers 
with  his  enthusiasm  and  courage.  His  daring 
burns  in  them,  and  finds  its  outcome  in  the  rally 
and  the  charge.  The  enrapt  scholar  opens  his 
heart  to  the  admired  teacher  and  becomes  his 
animated  image.  He  reproduces  his  mental  hab- 
its and  sympathies  and  theories.  Christ  enters 
into  our  nature  just  as  the  sun  enters  into  the 
plant  and  works  itself  out  into  flov/ers  arrayed  in 
garments  of  gold  and  splendor. 

At  this  point  I  imagine  you  say,  "  If  Christy  be 
in  us  as  our  life,  we  ought  to  be  conscious  of  the 
fact."  When  we  are  instructed  as  to  how  to  recog- 
nize Christ,  w^e  are  conscious  of  it.  You  should 
drill  yourself  in  recognizing  the  Christ  formed 
within  you.  Is  there  something  within  you  which 
demands  that  you  shall  be  noble  for  nobility's  own 
sake?  That  feeling  is  the  Christ  within  you  as- 
serting himself.  Is  there  a  joy  thrilling  within 
you  in  the  sanctuary  as  you  sing  praise  and  pray  ? 
That  is  Christ  in  you.  It  is  the  Christ  Vv^ho  at- 
tended the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  as  was  his 
wont,  Christ  who  sang  the  grand  Hallel  after  the 
Supper,  Christ  who  vrent  into  the  mountain  still- 

Sturllrs  in  Jolin's  Oogpel. 


114  STUDIES   IN  JOHNS    GOSPEL. 

ness  and  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer.  As  you 
read  the  Word  do  you  feel  a  response  within  you 
to  what  is  written  there?  That  is  the  Christ  in 
your  heart  talking  to  the  Christ  on  the  page.  Do 
you  realize  that  there  is  something  within  your 
soul  which  looks  out  of  your  eyes  at  perishing 
sinners  and  seeks  how  it  can  help  them  ?  That  is 
Christ  yearning  in  your  heart  for  the  lost,  and 
trembling  for  those  who  will  not  tremble  for  them- 
selves. When  Christ  is  within  us,  we  may  be 
conscious  of  the  fact  and  get  great  comfort  from  it. 
When  Christ  is  within  us  as  our  life,  he  will  act  in 
us  and  by  us  just  as  he  acted  when  he  lived  in 
Judaea  and  Galilee.  Being  the  same  Christ,  he 
must  live  in  and  by  us  the  same  kind  of  a  life. 

CLOSING  POINTS. 

I.  TJie  simple  term  "  bread''  when  lis  eel  as  descrip- 
tive of  Christ  eontains  in  it  touelmzg  pictures  of  Christ. 

The  term  sets  before  me  the  self  sacrifice  of  the 
So7i  of  God.  What  is  requisite  upon  the  part  of  the 
golden  wheat  that  it  may  become  bread  ?  It  must 
leave  its  proud  stalk,  which  waves  in  the  sunlight, 
and  submit  itself  to  the  flail  of  the  thresher.  It 
must  give  up  its  germinating  power  and  its  beauty 
of  form.  It  must  submit  to  the  crushing  and 
grinding  of  the  mill.  It  must  go  into  the  knead- 
ing-trough and  into  the  fires  of  the  oven.  It  is 
through  self-sacrifice  that  the  golden  wheat  be- 
comes bread.  Likewise  it  is  through  sacrifice 
that  the  Son  of  God  becomes  the  bread  of  life. 
He  must  veil  the  divine  glory.     He  must  become 


CHRIST    THE   BREAD   OF   LIFE.  II5 

incarnate.  He  must  live  the  earthly  life,  with  its 
testing  sorrows  and  temptations.  His  body  must 
be  broken  on  Calvary.  Scripture  sums  up  what 
Christ  did  in  order  to  become  the  bread  of  life  in 
this  one  sentence,  "  He  gave  Himself  for  us." 
"Himself!"  what  is  included  in  this  term?  It 
includes  the  gift  of  a  God,  and  the  gift  of  a  God  is 
infinite.  We  grow  eloquent  when  a  man  gives 
himself  to  a  good  cause  —  when  a  brakeman 
throws  himself  between  death  and  the  passengers, 
and  at  the  cost  of  life  averts  a  catastrophe,  when 
the  policeman  receives  the  murderous  knife  into 
his  own  bosom,  when  the  patriot  soldier  pur- 
chases liberty  at  the  price  of  blood !  We  do  well 
to  grow  eloquent  over  such  gifts.  But  how  much 
greater  is  the  gift  when  the  Son  of  God  gives 
Himself ! 

When  Christ  offers  himself  to  me  as  the  Bread 
of  Life,  I  see  in  his  offer  the  generous  humility  of 
the  Son  of  God  brought  to  view.  If  a  scholar 
of  wide  culture  should  give  himself  the  task  of 
teaching  a  child  of  moderate  endowments,  in  order 
that  he  might  reproduce  in  him,  in  a  limited  meas- 
ure, his  own  greatness,  would  you  not  call  him  a 
man  of  generous  humility?  His  humility  would 
appear  all  the  more  clearly  if  you  saw  the  many 
great  minds  open  to  his  tuition;  willing  minds, 
capable  of  reproducing  him  in  the  grandest  of 
ways  and  in  the  highest  circles  of  life.  There  are 
spheres  other  than  the  human  in  which  the  Son  of 
God  can  live  and  reproduce  himself.  Heaven  is 
His  to  use  in  the  manifestation  of  Himself.     The 


Il6  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

angels  are  willing  to  be  His  students  and  to  be  His 
exponents.  He  might,  if  He  wished,  confine  Him- 
self to  the  towering  heights  of  glory,  but  He  does 
not.  He  comes  to  enter  into  us,  to  dwell  in  us,  to 
manifest  Himself  in  us,  to  reproduce  Himself 
through  us. 

2.  The  simple  term  "  Bread''  when  used  as  descrip- 
tive of  Christ  contaijts  in  it  explicit  directions  concej'n- 
i7ig  our  duty  tozuards  Christ. 

It  is  our  duty  to  feed  upon  Christ,  to  make  him 
ours  by  appropriating  faith.  It  is  not  only  our 
privilege  but  it  is  our  duty  to  be  Christ-filled.  The 
possibility  of  being  thus  filled  carries  with  it  the 
duty.  It  is  said  that  opaque  objects  can  be  charged 
so  thoroughly  with  electricity  as  to  become  trans- 
parent. In  like  manner  we  can  be  filled  with 
Christ  so  that  he  will  glow,  in  the  form  of  divine 
truth  and  love  and  purity,  in  all  that  we  do. 
When  the  Shechinah  is  within  us  it  will  shed  a 
halo  of  glory  on  the  life  without. 

We  should  feed  upon  a  whole  Christ.  We 
should  take  him  in  all  his  offices  and  bow  to  all 
his  claims.  We  should  accept  of  all  his  truths,  and 
lay  hold  of  his  commandments  and  threatenings, 
as  well  as  of  his  promises.  We  should  live  on  the 
full  gospel  and  honor  every  doctrine  in  it.  It  is 
our  privilege  to  receive  of  Christ's  fulness,  grace 
for  grace.  In  proportion  as  we  take  him  in  his 
fulness,  in  the  same  proportion  shall  we  reach 
grandeur  and  spirituality  of  life,  robustness  in 
truth,  and  Christian  likeness  of  character.  It  is 
the  men  who  take  the  full  Christ  that  are  men  of 


CHRIST    THE    BREAD    OF   LIFE.  11/ 

large  understanding  and  large  sympathies  and 
large  sacrifice.  There  are  Christians  and  Chris- 
tians. The  greater  Christians  are  those  who  have 
the  greater  amount  of  the  indwelling  of  Christ. 

Do  you  ask,  How  can  we  feed  upon  Christ  ?  I 
reply,  The  soul  feeds  by  contemplation.  By  con- 
templation the  thoughts  of  Christ  enter  into  us 
and  become  a  part  of  us.  By  contemplation  the 
doctrines  of  Christ  become  convictions,  and  con- 
victions are  inseparable  from  our  natures.  Convic- 
tions transform  us  into  themselves.  To  afford  us 
the  opportunity  of  contemplating  Christ,  God  has 
given  us  the  story  of  Christ  in  the  gospel  page, 
and  the  morning  chapter  from  his  biography 
should  be  deemed  as  essential  as  our  morning 
meal.  To  make  us  realize  more  and  more  that 
Christ  is  ours,  Christ  him.self  has  given  us  the 
Lord's  Supper.  As  a  holy  ordinance  it  throvv^s 
light  upon  eating  Christ  as  the  Bread  of  Life.  It 
is  meant  to  keep  our  memory  full  of  what  we  have 
in  Him.  It  has  been  given  as  a  means  of  grace  to 
vStrengthen  us  for  right  living.  We  must  not  lose 
sight  of  this  in  gathering  at  the  Lord's  table.  We 
are  in  danger  of  looking  at  the  Lord's  Supper  as 
an  end,  and  of  supposing  that  we  must  live  a  right 
life  in  order  that  v/e  may  celebrate  it.  This  is  only 
half  of  the  truth.  The  right  life  will  help  us  to 
celebrate  it,  just  as  the  right  life  will  help  us  to 
pray.  The  other  half  of  the  truth  is,  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  Lord's  Supper  will  help  us  in  living  the 
right  life.  We  should  come  to  the  Lord's  table  ex- 
pecting to  receive  the  quickening  of  all  our  Chris- 


Il8  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

tian  graces.  We  should  come  expecting  to  receive 
all  the  benefits  which  can  be  obtained  by  those 
who  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter  merely, 
*'  take  and  eat." 

As  we  deal  with  Christ  and  enjoy  him  here 
on  earth,  let  us  remember  that  what  we  receive 
from  Christ  now  is  only  an  earnest  of  what  shall 
be.  There  is  a  life  beyond.  There  is  the  New 
Jerusalem,  there  is  the  celestial  city,  and  the  gold- 
en empire  of  which  Christ  is  the  King  and  the 
Life.  In  that  realm  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne  shall  feed  us  and  lead  us  unto  living  foun- 
tains of  water.  His  words  to  us,  as  he  opens  the 
gates  of  knowledge  into  the  heaven-world,  are, 
"  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the 
hidden  manna."  Beautiful  are  the  pictures  which 
we  can  build  up  from  the  materials  which  he  has 
given  us.  They  are  such  as  thrill  the  sanctified 
imagination.  They  are  such  as  fill  this  life  with 
hope  and  make  it  grand  and  sublime  with  antici- 
pations. They  are  such  as  give  us  refreshment 
and  regalement.  These  pictures  are  such  as  bring 
the  tree  of  life  down  to  earth,  so  that  our  faith 
can  even  now  taste  the  twelve  manner  of  fruits. 
As  we  taste  these  fruits  by  faith,  we  say,  and  our 
deepest  convictions  are  in  every  word,  "  Blessed 
are  they  that  shall  eat  bread  in  the  kingdom  of 
God." 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  1 19 


CHRIST  AT  THE  FEAST. 

"  Is  THE  LAST  DAY,  THAT  GREAT  DAY  OF  THE  FEAST,  JeSUS  STOOD 
AND  CRIED,  SAYING,  If  ANY  MAN  THIRST,  LET  HIM  COME  UNTO 
ME  AND  DRINK." — Johu  J '.37. 

This  Scripture  outlines  Christ's  sermon  at  the 
Feast  of  the  Tabernacles.  It  sums  it  up  in  two 
thrilling  sentences.  These  two  sentences  form 
one  of  those  grand  invitations  of  the  Bible  which 
sound  like  music  from  the  harps  of  gold.  The  in- 
vitation proves  its  own  divinity.  It  does  this  not 
merely  by  the  poetic  beauty,  of  its  diction,  although 
it  is  the  sublimest  of  poetry,  but  by  its  grand  sub- 
stance and  sentiment.  It  has  the  ring  of  infinite 
love  in  it,  and  it  expresses  a  purpose  the  breadth 
of  which  shows  that  it  could  originate  only  in 
the  heart  of  God.  The  invitation  harmonizes  with 
the  sacrifices  of  Calvary,  and  fits  the  lips  of  him 
who  voluntarily  went  to  Calvary  and  gave  his 
life  a  ransom  for  many.  In  it  Christ  joins  golden 
word  to  golden  word,  that  he  may  draw  us  to  sal- 
vation. 

We  would  expect  the  Disciple  of  Love  to  report 
these  words  from  the  heart  of  Christ.  They  are 
just  the  words  which  his  nature  would  cherish  and 
remember  and  feed  upon.  It  is  noticeable  that 
John  gives  us  the  greatest  number  of  the  broad 
universal  invitations  and  promises  and  declarations 
of  the  gospel.     They  are  scattered  through  his 


120  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GUSPKL. 

writings  from  beginning  to  end.  They  burn  like 
brilliant  lamps  in  the  long  drawing-room  of  a  pal- 
ace. In  the  beginning  of  his  writings  he  puts  this 
magnificent  verse  which  voices  the  love  of  the 
Father  :  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his 
only  -  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  belie veth  in 
him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 
In  the  centre  of  his  writings  he  puts  this  verse, 
which  voices  the  infinite  longing  of  the  Son,  ''  If 
any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink ; 
and  the  water  which  I  give  him  shall  be  in  him  a 
w^ell  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 
At  the  close  of  his  writings  he  puts  this  verse, 
which  makes  the  Holy  Spirit  one  with  the  Father 
and  Son  in  longing  for  the  salvation  of  all :  "  And 
the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come.  And  let  him 
that  heareth  say.  Come.  And  let  him  that  is 
athirst  come  ;  and  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the 
v/ater  of  life  freely."  The  Disciple  of  Love  builds 
up  a  lofty  and  complete  pyramid  of  grand  univer- 
sal promises  and  invitations.  Thus  he  represents 
aright  God's  infinite  love  and  the  magnificence  of 
his  great  saving  purposes.  Thus  he  sets  forth  the 
very  important  fact,  viz.,  that  if  we  are  lost,  we 
are  lost  because  we  refuse  to  be  saved. 

Let  us  bring  before  us  the  surroundings  am.id 
which  Christ  preached  his  sermon.  The  nation 
was  celebratinof  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles. 
This  was  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  feasts. 
Edersheim,  who  has  given  the  world  perhaps  the 
best  work  on  the  Jewish  worship,  says,  ''  This  was 
preeminently    the    feast    for    foreign    pilgrims." 


CHRIST   AT   THE   FEAST.  121 

It  took  place  during  the  finest  season  of  the  year. 
The  delicious  cool  of  autumn,  when  the  first 
streaks  of  gold  and  crimson  were  tinting  the  foli- 
age, was  just  the  season  for  travel.  Because  of  the 
presence  of  the  foreign  Jews,  who  came  from  the 
far-away  regions,  it  was  the  most  largely  attended 
of  all  the  feasts.  The  greater  the  crowds,  the  more 
fitting  the  occasion  for  the  utterance  of  Christ's 
universal  offer,  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink." 

The  design  of  the  feast  was  twofold.  It  was 
meant  to  be  a  thanksgiving  for  the  gathered  har- 
vest of  the  year,  and  also  a  memorial  of  the  wilder- 
ness-life which  the  Hebrews  lived  before  God 
settled  the  nation  in  the  promised  land.  In  the 
wilderness  the  fathers  dwelt  in  tents,  so  as  a  me- 
morial of  this  their  descendants  dwelt  in  booths 
or  tents  made  of  the  branches  of  trees  during  the 
entire  week  of  the  feast.  These  leafy  tents  were 
built  upon  the  flat-roofed  houses  and  in  the  yards 
and  in  the  open  squares  of  the  city.  Jerusalem 
was  transformed.  It  became  a  city  of  trees.  The 
city  was  picturesque  and  grand  to  one  who  took  a 
bird's  e3'e  view  of  it  from  the  summit  of  Olivet. 
It  looked  as  though  the  nation  intended  to-  crown 
it  with  fresh  green  laurels.  It  was  full  of  intense 
life.  It  was  a  centre  of  prayer  and  worship.  Faith 
saw  the  mystic  ladder  of  Bethel  reared  against  the 
skies,  and  innumerable  troops  of  angels  sweeping 
up  and  down  on  ministries  of  love.  This  was  the 
season  when  Jerusalem  was  the  city  of  solemnities  ; 
when  worshippers  congregated  by  the  thousands ; 
6 


122  STUDIES    IN   JOHN'S   GOSrEL. 

when  the  sacred  places  were  filled  with  chanting 
processions ;  when  the  smoke  of  smouldering  sacri- 
fices rose  in  a  slowly  widening  column  to  float 
between  the  summits  of  Olivet  and  Sion ;  when 
the  silvery  Psalms  reverberated  through  the  courts 
of  the  Temple  and  the  clear  blasts  of  the  priestly 
trumpets  awakened  echoes  far  and  near  among 
the  surrounding  hills.  The  season  was  one  of 
holy  scenes  and  holy  acts  and  holy  thoughts.  To 
see  Jerusalem  at  its  best  you  must  see  it  when  the 
nation  is  holding  one  of  the  great  festivals.  It  is 
thus  that  we  see  it  in  this  Scripture.  The  very 
climax  of  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles  has  been 
reached.  The  last,  the  high  day,  has  been  reached. 
Soon  the  booths  must  be  dismantled  and  the 
tribes  start  homeward.  The  thought  of  the  end 
quickens  every  soul  and  gives  zest  to  every  ser- 
vice. 

At  the  point  where  w^e  take  up  the  story  we 
find  the  nation  engaged  in  a  most  thrilling  rite, 
viz.,  the  memorial  of  the  Smitten  Rock,  in  which 
water  was  poured  out  before  the  Lord.  This  me- 
morial was  attended  with  striking  ceremonies.  A 
company  of  white  -  robed  priests  and  Levites 
marched  in  solemn  procession  from  the  Temple 
courts  to  the  Fountain  of  Siloam.  When  this 
fountain  vras  reached  the  priest  filled  a  golden 
pitcher  with  the  living  water,  and  then  the  sacred 
procession  marched  back  to  the  Temple  amid  the 
clash  of  cymbals  and  the  shouts  of  the  multitude. 
The  march  was  so  timed  that  the  solemn  proces- 
sion  reached   the  Temple    just  as  the  morning 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  123 

sacrifice  was  laid  upon  the  altar  of  burnt-offering. 
In  the  presence  of  the  people  the  priest  took  the 
golden  pitcher,  lifted  it  on  high,  and  poured  out 
the  water  so  that  it  mingled  with  the  sacrifice. 
With  a  great  voice  the  multitudes  sang, ''  With  joy 
shall  ye  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation," 
and  all  the  people  waved  the  palm  branches  which 
they  carried  as  a  token  of  their  joy.  The  services 
closed  with  the  chanting  of  the  grand  Hallel,  con- 
sisting of  the  praise  Psalms,  beginning  at  the  one 
hundred  and  thirteenth  and  ending  with  the  one 
hundred  and  eighteenth.  It  was  during  the  pause 
after  this  thrilling  service,  and  while  the  priests 
were  making  ready  for  the  special  sacrifices  of  the 
day,  that  Jesus  spake  to  the  multitudes.  His  voice 
rang  out  from  the  solemn  hush  and  offered  to  the 
thousands  the  water  of  life.  He  proclaimed  him- 
self the  Rock  of  Ages,  the  reality  of  what  was 
here  presented  in  the  form  of  type.  It  was  a 
bold  thing  for  him  to  do,  but  he  could  not  help 
it.  Infinite  love  compelled  him.  A  conscious- 
ness of  what  he  was,  and  a  clear  apprehension 
of  the  worth  and  efficacy  of  his  coming  sacri- 
fice, compelled  him.  By  this  act  he  passed  from 
the  extreme  of  caution  to  the  extreme  of  daring. 
He  took  a  great  step  in  advance  in  declaring  him- 
self. 

Thus  we  see  that  Christ  made  the  occasion  fur- 
nish his  sermon.  It  gave  him  the  figure  by  which 
to  set  himself  forth  as  equal  to  the  wants  of  the 
soul.  The  figure  will  last  and  speak  to  the  end  of 
the  world.     It  can  never  be  outgrown.     This  was 


124  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

just  the  place  for  Christ  to  declare  himself.  He 
was  in  the  midst  of  his  own  pictures.  These 
Temple  services  were  all  declarations  concerning 
him.  They  were  the  gospel  in  symbol  and  type. 
They  presented  in  abstract  form  precisely  the 
same  facts  and  thought  which  he  presented  in  his 
words,  in  his  character,  and  in  his  life.  This  was 
the  reason  that  these  services  satisfied  and  fed 
such  great  natures  as  David's  and  Isaiah's  and 
Jeremiah's,  and  also  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the 
other  heroes  of  the  Old  Testament.  This  was  the 
reason  they  called  out  the  grand  old  Psalms,  so 
full  of  majestic  thought  and  soaring  aspirations 
and  swelling  gratitude.  The  Hebrews  in  their 
worship  had  before  them  the  Christ  whom  we  see 
in  our  worship,  and  he  made  their  worship  grand. 
He  was  before  them  in  the  form  of  symbol,  just  as 
he  is  before  us  to-day  in  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the 
form  of  symbol.  Christ  simply  proclaimed  this 
fact  when  he  surprised  and  thrilled  the  crowds  by 
his  invitation  given  amid  the  solemnities  of  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles,  ''  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him 
come  unto  me  and  drink." 

Let  us  endeavor  to  set  the  fulness  and  meaning 
of  this  Scripture  before  us. 

I.      THE   INVITATION   OF   CHRIST. 

We  can  best  set  the  invitation  of  Christ  before 
us  by  asking  and  answering  two  questions. 

Question  i .     To  zvhat  does  Christ  invite  us  ? 

He  invites  us  to  come  unto  him  and  receive  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  1 2$ 

It  is  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that  is  symbol- 
ized by  the  gift  of  the  water  of  life  which  Christ 
offers.  And  what  is  the  gift  of  the  indwelling  of 
the  Holy  Spirit?  It  is  the  great  gift  of  Christ 
which  carries  in  it  all  other  gifts.  It  is  the  gift  of 
all  the  blessings  of  the  Christian  dispensation  in 
which  we  are  living.  It  includes  everything  that 
pertains  to  the  divine  life.  When  Christ  finished 
the  work  of  redemption  he  committed  everything 
to  the  Spirit,  whom  he  sent  to  be  his  vicegerent 
on  earth,  and  to  whom  has  been  committed  the 
application  of  redemption.  By  the  Spirit  Christ 
now  carries  on  his  work  here,  and  is  a  perpetual 
living  presence.  The  promise  of  the  Spirit  was 
his  grand  distinctive  promise.  This  is  in  accord- 
ance with  prophecy.  Joel  foretold  that  the  New 
Dispensation  would  be  marked  by  the  privileges  of 
such  influence  of  the  Spirit  as  the  Old  had  not 
seen.  The  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  the  dis- 
tinctive promise  of  the  New  Testament,  and  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise  v/as  to  be  accomplished 
by  wonders  and  thus  made  notable.  The  applica- 
tion of  Christ's  completed  work  is  the  Spirit's  dis- 
tinctive work.  It  was  the  distinctive  work  of  the 
Son  of  God  to  come  and  offer  the  sacrifice  on  the 
cross;  it  is  the  distinctive  work  of  the  Spirit  to 
come  and  make  that  sacrifice  effective.  When 
Christ  ascended  to  heaven  the  Spirit  came  to  do 
his  office  work.  As  the  Son  of  God  came  in  the 
fulness  of  time  and  incarnated  himself  in  a  human 
body,  the  Spirit  came  on  Pentecost  and  incarnated 
himself  in  the  individual  saint  and  in  the  collcc- 


126  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

live    organic    company    of    believers    called    the 
Church  of  God,  the  body  of  Christ. 

How  do  you  know  that  this  is  the  true  interpre- 
tation of  the  offer  which  Christ  made  at  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles  ?  It  is  the  interpretation  which  the 
inspired  John  gives  when  he  records  Christ's  invi- 
tation. His  words  are,  ''This  he  spake  of  the 
Spirit  which  they  that  believe  on  him  should  re- 
ceive ;  for  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  given,  be- 
cause Jesus  v/as  not  yet  glorified."  John  wrote 
after  the  scenes  of  Pentecost,  and  while  in  pos- 
session of  the  very  gift  which  Christ  promised. 
He  enjoyed  the  fulness  of  the  Spirit  v/hich  Jesus 
had  promised  and  of  which  the  prophets  had 
spoken.  He  read  into  the  promise  all  the  meaning 
of  later  events  and  revelations.  Thus  he  teaches 
us  how  we  are  to  deal  with  the  Scriptures,  how  we 
are  to  interpret  them,  and  what  we  are  to  read  into 
them.  We  need  the  lesson  which  he  gives  us.  If 
we  do  not  act  according  to  it  we  shall  limit  many 
parts  of  the  Bible  and  make  them  mean  less  than 
they  do.  There  are  some  who  are  not  willing  to 
allow  us  this  canon  of  interpretation,  viz.,  //  is  our 
privilege  to  read  Scripture  in  the  light  of  after  events. 
They  would  allow  us  to  see  in  the  different  parts  of 
Scripture  only  what  those  to  whom  it  was  first 
given  saw  in  it.  John  is  good  enough  authority  to 
put  against,  all  such.  He  read  all  the  meaning  of 
later  events  into  the  offer  of  the  water  of  life  by 
Christ.  We  are  not  reading  Scripture  for  the  men 
away  back  in  the  past ;  we  are  reading  it  for  our- 
selves; and  it  is  common  sense  to  throw  all  the 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  12/ 

light  and  meaning-  possible  into  every  word  and 
sentence  of  it.  For  example,  we  are  to  let  the  res- 
urrection of  Jesus  and  the  teachings  of  Jesus  con- 
cerning immortality  illumine  the  sayings  in  the 
Old  Testament  which  deal  with  the  future  life. 
We  are  to  allow  them  to  magnify  the  translation 
of  Enoch  and  the  ascension  of  Elijah.  We  are  to 
let  them  make  the  symbolism  of  nature  vocal,  to 
give  a  voice  to  the  grain  of  wheat  which  germi- 
nates and  reproduces.  We  are  to  let  them  make  the 
Psalms  which  we  sing  great  with  meaning  when 
the  sentiments  of  these  Psalms  look  beyond  the 
grave.  For  example,  we  are  to  read  a  new  mean- 
ing into  the  sixty-eighth  and  twenty-fourth  Psalms 
under  the  illumination  which  they  receive  from 
the  ascension  of  Christ.  We  are  to  read  this  prom- 
ise of  the  water  of  life  in  the  light  of  Pentecost, 
v/ith  its  incoming  of  the  Spirit  in  wondrous  power. 
We  are  to  read  it  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit-filled 
lives  of  Paul  and  Peter  and  John.  The  realization 
of  the  promise  in  these  men  shows  us  what  the 
promise  means. 

Since  Christ  uses  the  water  of  life  as  a  figure 
of  the  Spirit,  there  must  be  some  correspondence 
between  water  as  a  figure  and  the  Spirit  as  the 
reality.  This  is  what  you  are  saying  to  your- 
selves. And  this  is  true.  There  are  correspond- 
ences. We  can  indicate  only  two,  and  these  only 
by  way  of  suggestion. 

(a.)   Water  is  a  beautifierj  so  is  the  Spirit, 
Much  of   the  beauty  in    nature  comes  from 
water.     The   true  artist  understands  this,  so  he 


128  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

never  paints  a  landscape  without  putting-  a  bub- 
bling spring  or  a  rolling  brook  or  a  sweeping 
river  in  it.  The  divine  Artist  when  he  paints  the 
picture  of  the  heavenly  Canaan  makes  much  of 
the  River  of  Life.  Gather  up  the  beauties  of 
nature  and  see  what  they  are.  They  are  such  as 
these :  the  gems  of  morning,  the  sparkling  dew- 
drops,  the  cataract  with  its  waterfall  and  crystal 
spray,  the  purling  brook  rippling  and  singing,  the 
placid  lake  mirroring  the  blue  sky,  the  rainbow  on 
the  lowering  brow  of  the  storm,  the  glories  of 
cloud-land  with  its  peaks  of  aurelian  and  silver 
and  its  valleys  of  purple  and  crimson.  Water  is  a 
beautifier.  If  you  took  it  from  nature,  nature 
would  be  bare  and  repulsive.  To  meet  and  an- 
swer the  analogy  introduced  by  Christ,  the  Spirit 
must  be  a  beautifier.  He  is.  He  carries  with  him* 
the  beauties  of  holiness,  and  as  the  Spirit  of  holi- 
ness he  communicates  these  unto  those  in  whom 
he  dwells.  The  product  of  his  indwelling  is  a 
beautiful  character.  Take  and  examine,  for  illus- 
tration, the  character  of  Christ.  That  was  his  pro- 
duction. Christ  lived  his  human  life  just  as  we 
are  to  live  our  human  lives,  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  and  through  his  guidance.  Into  the  like- 
ness of  Christ's  character  the  Spirit  is  moulding 
and  transforming  all  the  people  of  God.  Into 
Christ's  character  the  Spirit  blended  all  beautiful 
graces,  such  as  obedience,  integrity,  love,  truth, 
joy,  courage ;  these  are  all  in  it,  and  they  are  in  it 
in  perfection  and  in  perfect  harmony.  No  Rubens 
or  Angelo  ever  gave  the  world  a  picture  half  so 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  1 29 

thrilling  as  the  perfect  character  of  Jesus  Christ, 
which  is  the  incorporation  of  all  moral  and  spir- 
itual beauty.  This  is  what  Christ  offers  us.  He 
offers  us  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  built 
up  the  character  of  Christ.  The  Spirit  is  the 
beautifier.  In  nature  he  is  represented  as  brood- 
ing over  chaos  and  bringing  from  it  cosmos,  and 
as  renewing  the  face  of  the  earth  and  bringing 
forth  the  fresh  beauty  of  the  springtime.  In 
grace  he  it  is  who  sanctifies  us  and  transforms  us 
into  fac-similes  of  Jesus  Christ. 

(b.)  Water  is  a  vivifier^  so  is  the  Spirit.  /^vu^nvK  ^yt^ 
The  Tree  of  Life  grows  on  the  banks  of  the 
River  of  Life.  Water  revives  the  dying  Ishmael. 
The  summer  shower  fills  the  grasses  and  the 
flowers  with  new  beauty  and  vitality.  Wherever 
'water  is  found  it  is  the  symbol  of  life.  The  float- 
ing mists,  the  gurgling  rills,  the  broad  rivers,  all 
of  these  carry  in  them  life  and  refreshment.  To 
meet  and  answer  the  analogy  introduced  by  Christ, 
the  Spirit  must  be  a  vivifier.  He  is.  He  is  called 
the  Spirit  of  Life.  He  is  set  forth  as  performing 
all  the  subjective  work  of  salvation  in  man.  He 
quickens  and  regenerates  and  sanctifies.  If  you 
liken  him  to  a  fountain,  you  can  see  the  many  rills 
which  flow  from  him  into  the  souls  of  men.  They 
are  such  as  these :  love,  joy,  peace,  long-suffering, 
meekness,  temperance.  These  graces  constitute 
the  very  life  of  a  Christian,  and  these  graces  are 
communicated  by  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit. 

The  works  of  the  Spirit  bear  testimony  to  him 
as  a  reviver.     He  fertilizes  every  part  of  the  soul. 

Rtudles   in    JoUu'n    Go^eU  6* 


130  STUDIES   IN   JOHNS   GOSPEL. 

He  fertilizes  the  affections  by  shedding  abroad  the 
love  of  God  in  our  hearts.  Look  at  the  affections 
of  a  Christian  home  as  these  go  out  Godward  and 
manward,  and  you  will  see  the  fruitage  of  the 
Spirit.  He  fertilizes  the  will  and  makes  it  capable 
of  new  measures  of  self-sacrifice.  Look  at  the 
martyrs  who  face  death,  and  you  will  see  the  pro- 
duct of  the  Spirit's  operation.  No  force  hostile  to 
Christ  can  crush  their  will.  The  fires  crackle  in 
their  limbs,  but  their  last  look,  until  the  eye 
shrivels  in  its  socket,  is  upward.  So  completely  is 
the  Spirit  the  source  of  life  that  we  are  said  **  to 
live  in  the  Spirit "  and  "  to  pray  in  the  Spirit "  and 
"  to  walk  by  the  Spirit."  Our  life  is  inspired  by 
the  Spirit.  He  creates  the  atmosphere  in  which 
we  live  our  new  and  divine  life.  Whatever  comes 
forth  from  him  is  vigorous  and  fresh,  and  is  like* 
sweet,  cool,  sparkling,  clear,  living  water  from  the 
spring.  The  worship  which  he  inspires  is  like  the 
worship  of  heaven  for  purity;  the  praise  which 
comes  from  his  indwelling  is  like  the  anthems  of 
the  redeemed;  and  the  prayer  which  he  indites 
is  full  of  faith  and  energy,  and  always  prevails 
at  the  throne  of  grace. 

Question  2.-  JV/iat  result  follows  the  acceptance 
of  Christ's  invitation  ? 

This  is  the  result :  The  indwelling  Spirit  will 
make  us  like  Christ.  We  ourselves  will  become 
fountains  of  life.  Through  the  indwelling  of  the 
Spirit  Christ  becomes  re-incarnated  in  us.  As  in 
nature  God  puts  into  the  rocks  healing  and  life- 
giving  waters  which  flow  for  centuries,  so  in  the 


CHRIST  AT   THE  FEAST.  I3I 

work  of  grace  he  puts  his  life  within  us  in  an  un- 
failing form.  Christ  by  the  Spirit  enters  into  us 
and  lives  through  our  personality  and  individ- 
uality. The  life  of  the  church  is  but  the  attempt 
of  Christians  to  rise  to  the  completer  life  of 
Christ. 

The  promise  of  Christ  accords  with  what  we 
find  elsewhere  in  the  Word,  viz.,  fellowship  be- 
tween man  and  God  always  makes  man  profitable. 
God  took  Abraham  into  covenant  with  him,  and 
that  covenant  relation  made  him  a  blessing  unto 
all  nations.  Who  have  been  the  men  who  have 
blessed  the  world  ?  They  have  been  the  men  who 
have  come  out  of  the  world  and  out  of  their  own 
corrupt  selves,  and  who  have  lived  with  God  and 
have  allowed  God  to  live  in  them.  They  have 
been  such  men  as  the  heroes  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.  Such  men  have  been  described  by 
the  Lord  himself  as  trees  of  life,  lights  of  the 
world,  fountains  of  living  waters. 

The  promise  of  Christ  presents  a  beautiful 
ideal  of  the  Christian's  life.  His  life  in  the  moral 
and  spiritual  world  should  be  a  spring  of  water. 
We  see  what  it  ought  to  be  and  what  it  can  be. 
The  Christian  is  a  man  who  gives  himself  to 
others ;  he  gives  them  his  ideals  and  his  princi- 
ples ;  he  gives  them  his  society  and  his  presence, 
that  in  this  way  he  may  breathe  his  spirit  into 
them.  Like  Christ  he  is  willing  to  empty  himself 
for  others.  It  is  the  mission  of  his  life  to  lift 
others  to  his  covenant  privileges  and  to  his  faith 
in  Christ.    Going  to    heaven   alone  is  a  selfish 


132  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

thing.  Take  others  with  you.  I  always  remem- 
ber the  remark  of  a  child  when  the  older  people 
were  discussing  in  her  presence  Bunyan's  Chris- 
tian and  Christiana.  She  said,  *'  I  do  not  like 
Christian  nearly  so  well  as  I  do  Christiana." 
When  she  was  asked,  "  Why  ?"  she  replied, 
''Christian  went  to  the  Celestial  City  alone,  but 
Christiana  took  the  children  with  her."  That  was 
a  good  enough  reason  for  liking  Christiana  better 
than  Christian.  God  will  delight  in  you  all  the 
more  when  you  take  others  with  you  to  heaven, 
and  even  men  v/ill  think  the  better  of  you.  The 
Christian  who  goes  to  heaven  alone  will  have  a 
crown,  but  it  will  be  a  starless  crown.  The  Chris- 
tian who  takes  others  with  him  to  heaven  will 
have  a  crown  all  filled  with  gems.  Be  a  fountain 
of  life  to  others.     Take  others  to  heaven  with  you. 

II.      THE    DISCUSSION    WHICH    THE    INVITATION    OF 
CHRIST  CALLED  FORTH  CONCERNING  HIMSELF. 

Christ's  invitation  brought  him  and  his  claims 
before  the  people.  When  he  made  his  magnifi- 
cent overture,  they  understood  him  as  laying  claim 
to  the  Messiahship.  A  discussion  immediately 
ensued  which  brought  out  the  various  opinions 
entertained  concerning  him.  His  sermon  made  a 
commotion,  and  the  commotion  may  be  looked 
upon  as  a  typical  illustration  of  the  effects  of  all 
gospel  messages.  We  have  here  the  typical 
minds  of  humanity.  We  have  acting  here  the 
very  motives  which  act  to-day  as  men  deal  with 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  1 33 

Christ.  All  did  not  think  alike.  All  do  not  think 
alike  to-day,  although  we  have  the  light  and  the 
testimony  of  many  centuries.  Although  we  have 
Christ  working  himself  out  before  men  in  all  the 
grand  institutions  of  the  ages  ;  although  the  world 
is  reaping  golden  harvests  from  his  gospel ;  much 
as  Christ  is  exhibited,  much  as  he  is  preached, 
much  as  he  works  before  the  eyes  of  nations, 
much  as  is  known  of  him,  still  men  do  not  think 
alike  with  regard  to  Christ  and  his  claims.  Look 
at  these  disputants  at  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles, 
and  you  will  see  something  of  the  diversities  of 
modern  days  as  men  come  into  contact  with 
Christ  and  his  claims. 

( a. )  Some  were  favorably  disposed  towards 
Christ. 

They  said  that  ''he  was  a  prophet."  The}?-  saw 
much  in  him,  but  they  did  not  see  all  that  was  in 
him.  They  ranked  him  perhaps  with  Moses  or 
Elijah,  but  they  did  not  see  his  divinity.  They 
would  take  him  as  a  human  model,  but  they  were 
not  willing  to  accept  of  him  as  their  Lord. 

(b.)  Some  pronounced  favorably  upon  him  without 
any  intention  of  coming  into  any  vital  relation  with 
him. 

They  made  him  a  mere  intellectual  problem. 
They  dealt  with  him  as  a  historical  fact  and 
nothing  more.  They  pronounced  upon  him  as 
they  would  upon  George  Washington  or  Napo- 
leon. They  said,  for  example,  "  Never  man  spake 
as  this  man  spake."  We  have  his  words  and  can 
see  for  ourselves  that  this  was  a  correct  judgment, 


134  STUDIES  IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

but  it  meant  nothing  upon  the  part  of  the  men 
who  uttered  it  so  far  as  personal  living  was  con- 
cerned. 

(c.)  Some  sazv  him  just  as  he  was,  and  accepted 
him  for  what  lie  claimed  to  be, 

(d.)  Some  openly  rejected  him^  and  gave  their 
reasons  for  so  doing. 

He  did  not  realize  their  ideal,  so  they  said. 
They  marked  out  an  ideal  of  the  real  Christ. 
They  constructed  their  ideal :  ''  Christ  cometh  of 
the  seed  of  David,  and  out  of  the  town  of  Bethle- 
hem where  David  was."  With  this  ideal  before 
them  they  turned  to  Jesus  and  said,  "  This  Jesus 
is  from  Nazareth,  and  is  a  Galilean."  They  did 
not  know  the  true  history  of  Jesus.  He  was  just 
what  they  claimed  the  true  Christ  would  be.  He 
was  of  the  seed  of  David,  he  was  born  in  Bethle- 
hem. Thus  it  is  when  men  honestly  make  out  an 
ideal,  Christ  accords  with  it.  He  answers  the 
highest  conception  of  men. 

(e.)  Some  judged  him  wholly  by  his  followers,  and 
rejected  him. 

None  of  the  big  men  of  the  nation  believed  on 
him,  therefore  there  was  nothing  great  in  him. 
How  often  men  to-day  urge  the  character  of  the 
followers  of  Christ  as  a  reason  for  not  espousing 
his  cause.  And  yet  the  bold  fact  is  this:  Men 
are  everywhere  imperfect.  There  are  no  perfect 
men  on  earth.  If  this  be  the  logical  course  to 
follow,  we  must  renounce  and  let  alone  every 
good  thing,  for  imperfect  men  are  connected  with 
every  good  thing.    There  are  none  but  imperfect 


CHRIST  AT   THE   FEAST.  1 35 

men  to  represent  causes  and  things  and  systems 
and  ideas  and  institutions. 

(f.)  Some  trusted  him  secretly,  but  had  not  the 
courage  to  boldly  say  what  they  thought. 

They  were  secret  followers.  Nicodemus  was 
of  this  type.  There  are  such  men  to-day.  They 
are  secretly  trusting  Christ;  he  is  the  hidden 
spring  of  their  life ;  he  deserves  the  credit  of 
every  good  thing  in  them,  but  he  does  not  get  the 
credit  because  of  their  secrecy.  Now  this  is  not 
honest.  It  is  not  square  to  Christ.  It  is  not 
square  to  others.  Others  look  at  the  character 
worn  by  the  secret  disciple  and  say,  "  This  charac- 
ter is  good  enough  for  me,  and  is  something 
quite  apart  from  and  independent  of  religion." 
They  are  deceived.  This  character  can  never  be 
built  up  apart  from  faith  in  Christ.  Nicodemus, 
your  very  goodness  is  a  living  lie,  and  allures  your 
fellow-men  to  destruction.  Tell  your  fellow-men 
that  you  owe  all  to  Christ.  By  an  open  confession 
become  an  honest  man. 


136  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  AND   THE  TRUE   CHILDREN  OF 
GOD. 

"Before  Abraham  was,  I  AM."— /oAw  8:58, 

This  whole  chapter  is  one  Scripture,  and  in  it 
Christ  paints  his  own  portrait.  I  am  glad  that 
Jesus  speaks  for  himself,  for  by  so  doing  he  sets 
aside  the  many  self-appointed  representatives  who 
speak  for  him.  Many  of  these  representatives  so 
modify  his  claims  that  they  level  him  to  the  grade 
of  Mohammed  and  Buddha  and  Confucius.  In  the 
light  of  this  Scripture  I  am  prepared  to  say,  "  Je- 
sus Christ  would  rather  that  men  should  reject 
him  in  toto  than  that  they  should  receive  him  only 
as  the  equal  of  Mohammed  or  Buddha  or  Confu- 
cius. The  difference  between  believing  in  him  as 
a  Mohammed  or  a  Buddha  or  a  Confucius,  and  be- 
lieving in  him  as  the  Son  of  God,  is  the  difference 
between  offering  him  blasphemy  and  offering  him 
worship. 

HOW   DOES   CHRIST   PAINT   HIMSELF? 

I.  He  paifits  himself  as  the  spiritual  liberator  of 
man. 

Christ  does  not  ask  men  to  serve  him  unre- 
warded. He  crowns  discipleship  with  blessings. 
Continuance  and  diligence  under  his  tuition  result 
in  a  greater  grasp  of  the  truth,  and  a  greater  grasp 
of  the  truth  results  in  greater  mental  liberty.    The 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD.    1 37 

mind  of  man  is  the  great  power  in  this  world ;  it 
makes  and  determines  the  character  and  condition 
of  humanity.  Thought  is  the  force  that  rules  and 
directs  the  mind.  Christ  takes  hold  of  the  thought 
of  man,  and  through  thought  controls  his  mind 
and  liberates  and  elevates  and  blesses.  He  puts 
truth  into  his  soul,  and  in  this  way  makes  the  life 
right.  He  brings  man  into  the  service  of  the 
truth,  and  in  this  way  sets  him  free  from  the  sla- 
very of  error. 

Do  you  ask,  What  is  truth?  Christ  answers, 
"  I  am  the  Truth."  Hence  Christ  in  you  is  Truth 
in  you.  Hence  we  read  that  freedom  by  the  Son 
of  God  and  freedom  by  the  Truth  are  one  and  the 
same  thing.  Christ — his  ideas,  his  purposes,  his 
Spirit,  his  sympathies,  his  example — Christ  made 
up  of  these  things,  he  is  the  Truth.  When  a  man 
knows  these  things  to  be  a  part  of  himself,  that 
man  enjoys  the  truest  and  highest  liberty. 

This  was  the  fact  which  Jesus  set  before  the 
Jews.  But  they  could  neither  apprehend  it  nor 
appreciate  it.  They  denied  that  they  were  in  sla- 
very. The  only  liberty  they  dreamed  of  was  polit- 
ical liberty,  and  they  began  talking  about  that. 
They  began  boasting  about  their  national  history, 
and  tried  to  show  that  they  had  never  been  in 
bondage  to  any  man.  In  doing  so  they  found  it 
convenient  to  be  untruthful  by  leaving  out  great 
historical  facts — facts  such  as  the  Egyptian  bond- 
age and  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and  the  fact  of 
their  own  day,  namely,  that  the  Roman  eagle  had 
its  talons  fastened  in  the  very  heart  of  the  nation. 


138  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

This  was  their  boast:  "We  be  Abraham's  seed 
and  were  never  in  bondage  to  any  man." 

Christ  was  equal  to  the  task  of  answering  their 
appeal  to  Abraham  as  their  father.  He  admitted 
the  greatness  of  Abraham,  but  at  the  same  time 
pointed  out  the  fact  that  their  descent  from  him 
was  carnal  and  not  spiritual.  Abraham  had  two 
sons,  one  born  in  the  covenant,  Isaac ;  the  other 
born  out  of  the  covenant,  Ishmael.  In  spirit  the 
Jews  Y/ere  Ishmaelites. 

We  have  our  spiritual  affinities,  and  these  de- 
termine our  true  relationships  and  standing.  The 
Jews  were  not  the  children  of  Abraham's  good 
qualities,  they  were  not  the  children  of  ^faith  and 
love;  they  were  the  children  of  the  spirit  of  un- 
truth and  murder.  These  were  the  qualities  of  the 
devil  and  not  of  Abraham.  The  devil  is  the  father 
of  untruth.  He  lied  to  Eve  in  the  garden  of  Eden 
and  to  Christ  on  the  mountain  of  temptation.  The 
devil  is  the  father  of  the  spirit  of  murder.  He 
tried  to  murder  the  whole  human  race  spiritually. 
The  slavery  in  which  he  keeps  man  to-day  is  noth- 
ing short  of  murder.  The  drunkard  is  his  slave, 
and  his  career  ends  in  eternal  death.  Every  pic- 
ture which  the  Bible  gives  us  of  the  devil  goes  to 
prove  that  he  is  a  murderous  taskmaster.  Mark 
what  he  takes  and  mark  what  he  gives.  He  takes 
Paradise  and  gives  an  apple.  He  takes  the  birth- 
right and  gives  a  plate  of  pottage.  He  takes  the 
homage  of  Samson  and  gives  him  sightless  eye- 
balls. He  is  the  same  devil  to-day,  and  he  will 
treat  you  as  he  treated  Eve  and  Esau  and  Samson. 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD.    1 39 

The  disposition  wliich  the  Jews  manifested 
towards  Christ  was  altogether  un-Abrahamic :  it 
was  Satanic,  and  Christ  told  them  so.  He  traced 
their  pedigree  back  to  Satan,  and  then  he  offered 
them  freedom  from  the  Satanic. 

It  is  worth  while  to  take  with  us  the  lesson 
which  Jesus  sets  in  the  light  when  he  strikes 
down  the  boast  of  the  cruel  and  unbelieving  Jews 
who  say,  *'  We  be  Abraham's  children."  It  is  this : 
True  sonship  is  spiritual,  not  carnal.  True  family 
likeness  consists  in  character  and  in  actions,  not 
in  bearing  the  same  name.  Sometimes  descend- 
ants are  a  spiritual  burlesque  upon  ancestors. 
The  life  which  they  live  makes  the  name  which 
they  bear  a  laughable  farce.  Think  of  a  puny 
sickly  dwarf  bearing  the  name  of  Goliath.  Think 
of  a  man  bearing  the  honored  name  of  Stephen, 
of  Paul,  of  James — men  who  died  for  the  churoh — 
and  yet  living  outside  of  the  church  and  de- 
spising it.  By  our  lives  and  principles  and 
character  we  often  slander  the  men  whom  we  de- 
light to  call  our  fathers.  We  are  often  un-Abra- 
hamic while  we  boast  that  we  are  the  children 
of  Abraham.  Instead  of  being  in  truth  the  sons 
of  Abraham,  we  are  the  slaves  of  Satan  and  have 
need  of  the  liberty  which  Christ  gives  his  people 
by  the  truth. 

Let  me  ask  a  practical  question  at  this  point. 
Just  what  is  the  liberty  which  Christ  gives  men 
through  *ke  truth?  It  is  a  liberty  which  breaks 
every  shackle.  We  can  best  see  it  if  we  look  at 
one  of  Christ's  freemen.     It  incarnates  itself  in  all 


I40  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

such,  and  when  it  becomes  incarnate  it  is  no  nega- 
tive personality.  Paul  may  be  chosen  as  an  an- 
swer to  the  question. 

As  we  become  acquainted  with  Paul's  life 
through  his  words,  we  find  it  full  to  overflowing 
with  the  spirit  of  freedom.  Pie  had  freedom  from 
false  theologies,  and  from  the  condemnation  of 
the  law,  and  from  the  fear  of  death,  and  from 
anxieties  with  regard  to  the  things  of  this  life,  and 
from  caste  prejudices,  and  from  the  tyranny  of  the 
world,  and  from  the  power  of  evil  habits,  and  from 
low  and  carnal  views  of  the  Christian's  privileges 
and  of  the  Christian's  Christ.  Now  this  is  not 
picture  painting,  this  is  not  declamation ;  this  is 
simply  the  assertion  of  facts  taken  from  the  life  of 
Paul.  Here  is  the  life  of  Paul,  full,  broad,  manly, 
built  up  after  magnificent  ideals,  replete  with  the 
peace  of  God,  beautiful  with  the  reproduction  of 
Christly  characteristics,  and  magnificent  with  no- 
ble sacrifices  for  the  elevation  of  the  human  race. 
If  this  be  liberty  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  would 
not  be  one  of  Christ's  freemen  ?  Who  would  not 
be  Paul  on  earth  and  Paul  in  heaven  ? 

The  Jews  thought  that  they  were  already  free, 
but  they  were  not.  This  is  the  mistake  of  many 
who  are  not  Jews.  This  is  the  mistake  which 
many  in  the  Christian  Church  make.  They  are 
not  nearly  so  free  as  they  think  they  are.  i\re 
you  free?  Your  Christian  profession  says.  Yes. 
But  what  does  your  life  say  ?  How  do  you  per- 
form the  duties  of  the  Christian  life?  Answer 
that  question  and  you  will  see  in  what  degree  you 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD.    I4I 

are  free.  To  the  free  Christian  everything  is  a 
privilege :  church-going,  Bible-reading,  prayer, 
religious  contributing,  personal  service.  There  is 
a  great  difference  between  doing  things  under 
compulsion  and  doing  the  same  things  because 
they  are  privileges.  Privileges  are  duties  trans- 
figured. There  is  very  little  virtue  in  things  done 
after  the  former  manner.  Said  a  man  to  his  friend, 
"  Would  you  like  to  live  in  a  community  where 
no  man  drinks  intoxicating  liquors,  and  where  all 
are  sober?"  The  friend  replied,  *'Yes,  I  would 
be  delighted  to  move  into  such  a  community." 
"  And  would  you  think  more  highly  of  the  com- 
munity if  I  told  you  that  every  man  in  it  w^as  in- 
dustrious, rising  regularly  and  retiring  regularly?" 
"  I  certainly  would."  *'  And  would  the  commu- 
nity grow  in  your  estimation  if  you  were  told  that 
there  was  no  work  done  in  it  on  the  Sabbath  day 
and  that  every  one  attended  church?"  "Yes. 
Such  a  community  would  be  a  place  of  perfect 
liberty.  Find  me  such  a  community,  and  I  will 
move  into  it  to-morrow.  But  there  is  no  such 
community  on  earth."  Replied  his  friend,  "  Since 
you  want  to  know  of  such  a  community,  I  will  tell 
you  where  you  will  find  one.  You  will  find  one 
at  Sing  Sing.  Any  well-regulated  penitentiary  is 
such  a  community."  To  many  professed  Chris- 
tians the  gospel,  with  its  pure  and  holy  duties,  is 
nothing  more  than  a  penitentiary.  They  wear  a 
penitentiary  look  and  do  their  duties  under  com- 
pulsion. To  them  the  gospel  life  is  nothing  more 
than  a  penitentiary  routine.     I  know  several  such 


142  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

Christians.  They  attend  prayer-meeting  under 
compulsion,  when  they  do  attend ;  they  labor  in 
the  Sabbath-school  under  compulsion,  when  they 
do  labor ;  they  contribute  to  the  Lord's  cause  un- 
der compulsion,  wheil  they  do  contribute.  Let 
me  speak  plainly  to  all  such :  your  great  need  in 
life  is  to  get  converted.  Notwithstanding  your 
religious  respectability  and  your  outward  profes- 
sion, you  are  in  absolute  need  of  the  true  indwell- 
ing of  the  true  Christ,  the  Christ  of  the  great 
sacrifice  of  Calvary.  When  the  true  Christ  dwells 
within  you  he  will  bring  3'ou  into  the  liberty  of 
the  sons  of  God  and  will  change  religion  from  a 
drudgery  into  a  delight. 

2.  He  paints  himself  as  the  cterrial  God.  "  Before 
Abraham  was,  I  am'' 

This  is  a  great  step  in  advance.  It  is  the  high- 
est claim  that  Jesus  makes.  It  is  the  highest  claim 
because  there  is  nothing  beyond  for  Jesus  to  claim. 
There  is  nothing  beyond  the  eternal  God. 

The  skilful  manner  in  which  Jesus  opened 
the  way  for  this  amazing  claim  should  not  escape 
us.  He  did  not  make  it  suddenly  ;  he  laid  a  foun- 
dation for  it.  He  reached  it  step  by  step.  The 
Jews  tried  to  minimize  him  by  contrasting  him 
with  Abraham.  This  led  him  to  proclaim  his 
superiority  to  Abraham.  The  claim  of  superior- 
ity to  Abraham  was  the  first  wide  step  which  he 
took,  and  it  prepared  the  way  for  the  second  v/ide 
step,  the  claim  of  equality  with  God,  identification 
with  the  Jehovah  of  the  Old  Testament. 

But  how  did  Jesus  claim  superiority  to  Abra- 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD.    143 

ham  ?  Recall  his  words  and  you  will  see.  These 
are  his  words :  "  Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to 
see  my  day,  and  he  saw  it  and  was  glad."  He 
asserts  that  He  was  so  far  in  advance  of  Abraham 
in  being  and  in  work  that  by  association  with  Him 
Abraham  was  elevated  and  filled  with  gladness. 
But  how  did  Abraham  see  him  and  his  day  ?  One 
answer  is,  Abraham  was  in  heaven  when  the  Son 
of  God  left  the  seat  of  glory  and  came  to  earth. 
He  saw  the  return  of  the  trooping  bands  of  angels 
whose  faces  flashed  out  in  the  sky  above  the  plains 
of  Bethlehem  and  v/hose  voices  sang  the  anthem 
of  incarnation,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest, 
peace  on  earth,  good-will  towards  men."  All 
heaven  was  stirred  from  its  centre  to  its  outermost 
rim  over  the  coming  of  Christ  to  earth  and  over 
the  great  work  which  brought  him  among  men. 
Abraham  was  in  the  m^idst  of  this  stir.  If  Moses 
and  Elijah  came  all  the  way  from  heaven  to  earth 
to  talk  with  Christ  about  his  earthly  mission  and 
to  bring  him  the  sympathy  of  the  redeemed,  if  all 
heaven  knew  about  Christ's  coming  sacrifice  on 
Calvary,  it  is  inconceivable  that  Abraham,  a  tow- 
ering chief  of  God,  should  be  shut  out  from  knowl- 
edge. 

This  is  one  answer.  There  is  another  answer. 
You  find  it  upon  the  page  of  Old  Testament  his- 
tory. There  we  are  taught  that  the  Son  of  God 
did  not  always  maintain  invisibility  prior  to  Beth- 
lehem. Under  the  former  religious  economy  he 
fellowshipped  with  men.  He  walked  with  Adam 
in  Eden  and  communed  with  him  in  the  cool  of 


144  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  day.  Quite  a  company  of  the  Old  Testament 
heroes  saw  him  wearing  the  form  of  a  man  and 
had  dealings  with  him.  On  one  occasion  he  was 
seen  by  seventy  elders ;  upon  two  occasions  he  was 
seen  by  a  man  and  his  wife  :  Joshua  saw  him,  Eze- 
kiel  saw  him,  Gideon  saw  him,  Daniel  saw  him, 
and  Abraham  saw  him.  There  is  quite  a  long 
chapter  in  the  Old  Testament  concerning  his  visit 
to  Abraham  :  how  he  found  his  tent ;  what  Abra- 
ham was  doing  ;  how  he  was  received  ;  how  a  kid 
v/as  dressed  and  cakes  were  baked ;  how  he  ate 
and  refreshed  himself  at  Abraham's  table ;  even  a 
report  is  given  of  the  conversation  which  passed 
between  them.  Studying  the  Old  Testament  his- 
tory of  Abraham,  Paul  says,  ''The  gospel  v/as 
preached  unto  Abraham ;"  and  the  promise  given 
to  Abraham,  namely,  *'  In  thy  seed  shall  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed,"  was  nothing  more 
nor  less  than  the  promise  of  Christ. 

From  the  declaration  of  superiority  to  Abra- 
ham, the  Jewish  ideal  of  superior  human  great- 
ness, Jesus  passes  to  the  declaration  of  his  equality 
with  God.  I  wish  you  to  notice  how  emphatic  he 
makes  his  declaration,  and  how  he  throws  all  the 
moral  earnestness  of  his  entire  being  into  it.  I 
am  particular  as  to  this  because  there  are  reli- 
gious teachers  who  publicly  assert  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  not  divine  and  that  he  never  claimed  deity  for 
himself.  Standing  before  this  Scripture  I  assert 
that  Jesus  Christ  took  his  oath  that  he  was  God. 
An  oath  is  wrapped  up  in  the  word  verily.  "  Ver- 
ily, verily,  I  say  unto  you,  before  Abraham  was, 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CHILDREN  OF  GOD.    145 

I  AM !"  I  am  not  trying,  just  now,  to  prove  the 
deity  of  Christ ;  I  am  striving  only  to  get  Christ's 
idea  of  himself,  to  reach  what  Christ  claimed  to 
be.  His  claims,  every  one  of  them,  I  believe  are 
established  by  infallible  proofs.  I  believe  in  them 
all  as  firmly  as  I  believe  in  my  own  existence. 
I  am  striving  only  to  answer  the  question,  What 
is  the  true  Christ  ?  I  am  aiming  at  unmasking  all 
false  Christs.  The  Christ  out  of  whom  deity  is 
left  is  a  false  Christ.  He  is  nothing  more  than  a 
Christ  of  human  fiction.  He  is  not  the  Christ  of 
the  Book  nor  the  Christ  of  history.  The  Christ 
whose  face  looks  out  at  us  from  this  gospel  page 
is  a  divine  Christ.  The  Jesus  who  speaks  to  us  in 
the  text  says  that  he  is  the  I  AM !  The  term 
"I  AM"  in  the  text  is  the  name  of  God.  It  is  a 
name  with  a  history.  God  took  it,  or  rather  an- 
nounced it,  at  the  burning  bush.  When  God  ap- 
peared to  Moses  at  the  burning  bush  and  com- 
missioned him  to  deliver  Israel  from  the  bondage 
of  Egypt,  Moses  asked  the  Lord,  "What  is  thy 
name?  For  the  people  will  ask  me.  Who  sent 
you?  What  shall  I  say?"  The  Lord  answered 
Moses,  " '  I  AM '  is  my  name.  Tell  them  the  '  I 
AM  '  sent  thee."  When  the  commission  of  Moses 
was  executed,  and  vv^hen  Israel  through  it  had  be- 
come a  mighty  nation,  the  name  *'I  AM"  was 
ever  afterwards  considered  one  of  the  grandest 
names  of  God.  It  stood  chief  among  all  the 
divine  names.  The  covenant  people  saw  in  it 
everything  that  was  great.  It  expressed  to  them 
God's  personality.    It  set  God  forth  as  self-existent 

studies   In    John's   Gospel.  7 


146  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

and  uncreated,  as  unchangeable  and  eternal.  To 
them  it  was  an  incommunicable  name,  and  set 
forth  incommunicable  attributes.  When  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  used  it  and  appropriated  it  to  himself, 
and  claimed  all  that  it  expressed,  the  Jews  were 
horrified  and  looked  upon  him  as  a  blasphemer.  - 
Instinctively  they  took  up  stones  to  stone  him 
and  thus  execute  upon  him  the  sentence  which 
their  law  required  them  to  execute  against  every 
blasphemer. 

Brethren,  the  Jews  were  not  mistaken.  They 
did  not  misinterpret  Christ.  He  did  claim  to  be 
the  eternal  God,  and  he  is  the  eternal  God.  Try 
to  express  God  in  a  human  life,  and  you  can  give 
the  world  nothing  higher  than  Jesus  Christ.  Try 
to  express  Jesus  Christ  fully  and  absolutely,  and 
you  will  give  the  world  a  perfect  God.  Study 
thoroughly  the  Christ  as  he  moves  and  acts  in 
gospel  story,  and  you  will  find  that  he  loves  with 
an  infinite  love,  and  makes  Godlike  sacrifices  and 
performs  divine  works  and  speaks  divine  words 
and  lives  a  divine  life.  What  more  can  we  ask 
than  this?  Having  this,  we  have  in  Christ  ''the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express 
-^;'    //image  of  his  person." 

CONCLUSION. 

CJiristianitys  CJirist  is  a  distinct  and  a  well-defined 
person. 

Everything  about  him  is  sharply  cut  and  fear- 
lessly stated.  He  speaks  for  himself.  He  entraps 
no  man  into  discipleship.     He  is  not  afraid  of  the 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TRUE  CIHLDREN  OF  GOD.    I47 

light  nor  of  the  witness  stand.  He  asks  no  blind 
faith,  but  submits  himself  to  scrutiny.  He  works 
himself  out  in  the  grand  institutions  of  the  ages, 
and  complacently  demands  an  equation  for  these. 
He  makes  men  know  exactly  what  they  accept 
when  they  accept  of  him.  The  laws,  the  duties, 
the  principles,  and  the  sacrifices  which  pertain  to 
his  kingdom  are  all  expressed  in  definite  form. 
The  Christ  of  Christianity  is  well  defined.  Is  our 
faith  in  him  as  well  defined  ?  Is  our  choice  of  him 
as  definite  ?  Is  our  loyalty  to  him  as  sharply  cut 
and  as  distinct  ?  Are  the  features  of  our  Christian 
life  as  prominent  as  are  the  features  of  his  char- 
acter.^ Our  Christianity  should  be  no  vague 
thing,  for  the  Christ  of  the  Gospel  is  no  vague 
person.  The  Christ  of  this  picture  is  a  grand 
Christ.  His  characteristics  are  so  magnificent  that 
they  crown  Christian  faith  with  dignity.  The 
man  who  accepts  of  the  Christ  here  portrayed  can- 
not fail  to  be  a  man  all  on  fire  with  Christian  en- 
thusiasm and  a  man  thoroughly  absolute  in  his 
devotion  to  the  truth.  He  will  be  a  Christian  of 
the  broadest  and  loftiest  type.  The  man  with  a 
broad  Christ  is  a  broad  man.  The  man  with  a 
true  Christ  is  a  true  man.  The  Christ  and  the 
man  always  correspond. 


148  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  AND  THE   BLIND  MAN,  OR  THE 
TESTIMONY  OF  EXPERIENCE. 

"One  thing  I  know,  that  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see." 
Joh7i  9 :  25. 

This  chapter  is  a  complete  history  in  itself.  It 
is  a  great  help  in  settling  the  claims  of  Christ.  It 
introduces  a  method  of  testing  Christ  which  is 
within  the  capacity  of  all,  viz.,  the  practical 
method. 

It  puts  this  method  in  contrast  with  the 
method  of  testing  Christ  by  philosophizing  and 
theorizing  and  reaching  conclusions  by  the  mere 
intellectual  process.  The  contrast  shows  the  im- 
mense superiority  of  the  practical  method.  By 
this  method  an  unlettered  beggar  can  reach  truth 
which  the  educated  schoolman  may  never  reach. 
By  this  method  he  can  attain  the  logic  of  facts, 
before  which  the  logic  of  theory  is  utterly  power- 
less. 

This  chapter  lays  down  and  illustrates  this 
principle  for  all  time,  viz.,  What  Christ  does 
proves  what  Christ  is.  If  Christ  does  divine 
things,  then  Christ  is  divine.  Christ  can  afford  to 
be  put  upon  his  merits  and  judged.  He  can  afford 
to  say,  as  he  does  say,  "  Let  my  works  speak.  Be- 
lieve me  for  my  works'  sake."  The  practical  test 
displays  great  fearlessness,  but  then  it  has  no 
cause  for  fear;  it  is  in  no  danger  of  failure.  It 
works  well,  for  no  man  has  ever  used  it  honestly 


CHRIST  AND   THE  BLIND   MAN.  I49 

and  failed  to  find  the  truth  about  Christ.  He  who 
tests  Christ  by  experience  will  always  reach  that 
faith  which  makes  Christ  a  reality  and  an  indwell- 
ing, conscious,  controlling  influence. 

This  is  the  fact  which  this  chapter  teaches. 
Here  is  a  poor  blind  man  who  deals  practically 
with  Christ.  He  submits  himself  to  Him  and  does 
what  He  tells  him,  and  he  receives  the  power  of 
sight.  The  work  of  Christ  on  him  and  within 
him  shows  him  what  Christ  is,  and  begets  within 
him  a  deep-seated,  immovable  conviction  concern- 
ing His  nature  and  His  claims. 

THE  FACTS  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN. 

I.  The  conversation  which  Christ  and  his  disciples 
held  concer7iing  the  ina7i. 

Jesus  and  his  disciples  found  this  man  by  the 
wayside  begging.  He  was  a  penniless  beggar. 
He  lived  on  the  cold  charity  of  the  world.  More 
than  that,  he  w^as  blind.  He  had  always  been 
helpless,  for  he  was  born  blind.  To  be  blind  is  to 
lose  half  of  creation.  Blindness  renders  half  the 
works  of  God  meaningless  blanks.  The  heavens 
are  resplendent  with  shining  worlds  and  twink- 
ling stars  and  golden  clouds,  but  the  blind  do  not 
know  it.  The  towering  mountains  have  a  m^ajesty 
and  the  blooming  valleys  are  robed  in  beauty  and 
the  waterfalls  are  adorned  with  flashing  rainbows, 
but  the  blind  do  not  know  it.  There  is  love-light 
in  the  eyes  of  friends  and  a  talking  soul  in  the 
human  face,  but  the  blind  do  not  know  it.  There 
is  a  world  of  graceful  forms  and  a  world  of  bril- 


150  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

liant  hues,  but  the  blind  do  not  know  it.  Blind- 
ness shuts  out  from  life  the  grand  and  beautiful, 
the  bright  and  glorious.  It  makes  the  universe  as 
black  as  pitch  and  as  unattractive.  The  lot  of  the 
hero  of  this  story  was  that  of  a  blind  man.  He 
was  blind  in  the  dark  ages  of  blindness.  Blind  as 
he  was,  he  would  have  been  better  off  if  he  had 
been  living  to-day.  This  is  the  golden  age  for  blind 
men ;  the  influence  of  Christ  in  the  world  has  made 
it  such.  Invention  has  broadened  the  universe  for 
the  sightless.  They  get  light  now  through  their 
finger-tips.  Books  with  raised  letters  have  opened 
new  worlds  to  them.  Industries  whereby  they 
can  obtain  an  honest  livelihood  have  been  brought 
within  their  reach,  and  these  have  broken  the  mo- 
notony of  a  do-nothing  life.  They  knov/  now  the 
blessedness  and  the  privilege  of  work.  Through 
the  ability  of  doing  something  they  are  made 
conscious  of  their  manhood  and  are  ennobled. 
Living  in  the  dark  ages  of  blindness,  the  hero  of 
this  story  knew  nothing  of  the  privileges  of  the 
blind  men  in  this  golden  age  of  Christianity. 
Blindness  to  him  meant  idleness,  worthlessness, 
degradation,  tiresome,  dull,  wearing  monotony. 
All  he  could  do  was  to  beg. 

When  Christ  reached  the  place  where  this 
blind  man  was,  his  disciples  introduced  a  conversa- 
tion about  the  reason  for  his  blindness.  They 
asked  the  question, ''  Master,  who  did  sin,  this  man 
or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born  blind  ?"  Accord- 
ing to  the  belief  of  their  day,  they  assumed  that 
his  blindness  was  a  judgment  upon  some  special 


CHRIST  AND   THE  BLIND   MAN.  151 

crime.  They  believed  that  it  was  the  mark  of  a 
signal  sin.  It  is  the  instinct  of  conscience  to  trace 
suffering  to  sin.  The  inhabitants  of  Melita  imme- 
diately wrote  Paul  down  as  a  great  sinner,  whom 
justice  would  not  allow  to  escape,  when  they  saw 
the  venomous  viper  hanging  on  his  wrist.  They 
believed  that  God  bade  the  serpent  leap  from  the 
fire  and  fasten  itself  on  Paul  as  the  Nemesis  of 
justice.  But  they  were  mistaken,  just  as  these 
disciples  were.  It  has  been  the  tendency  of  hu- 
manity everywhere  to  dive  with  cruel  surmises 
into  the  secrets  of  other  men's  lives,  and  to  guess 
at  hidden  sins  as  the  explanation  of  marked  suffer- 
ing. Let  the  tower  of  Siloam  fall  upon  a  set  of  men, 
and  they  are  immediately  branded  as  great  sin- 
ners. Job's  friends  attributed  his  sufferings  to 
signal  sins.  If  the  only  explanation  of  signal 
suffering  were  signal  sin,  we  would  have  a  most 
comfortless  and  miserable  time  in  this  world. 
Life  would  be  full  of  crushing  suspicions.  Very 
few  characters  would  stand.  While  certain  sins 
do  carry  with  them  unmistakable  judgments  and 
are  retributive,  yet  this  is  not  the  sole  philosophy 
by  which  the  sufferings  of  men  are  to  be  explained. 
Christ  gives  another  explanation.  He  gives  the 
explanation  which  God  gave  Job  from  the  whirl- 
wind. He  says  all  sufferings  are  not  punitively 
connected  with  signal  sins,  so  as  to  come  from 
these  as  the  direct  result.  Some  sufferings  are 
permitted  for  the  purpose  of  being  transfigured, 
some  sufferings  are  disciplinary,  some  sufferings 
are  means  of  grace,  some  sufferings  are  instru- 


152  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

ments  for  working  out  the  more  glorious  purposes 
of  God.  They  work  out  the  peaceable  fruits  of 
righteousness  in  men,  and  they  exhibit  the  sus- 
taining grace  of  God  and  illustrate  the  merciful 
character  of  God.  Some  sufferings  are  designed  to 
set  off  and  exalt  God's  glorious  works.  Jesus 
answered,  "  Neither  has  this  man  sinned  nor  his 
parents :  but  that  the  work  of  God  should  be  made 
manifest  in  him." 

This  answer  of  Christ  gives  us  a  great  amount 
of  comfort.  It  says,  "  God  takes  all  the  responsi- 
bility for  the  deformities  which  men  bring  with 
them  into  the  world."  This  is  precisely  the  same, 
thing  which  God  himself  told  Moses  when  Moses 
was  urging  his  natural  slowness  of  speech  and  his 
weakness  as  a  reason  why  he  should  not  undertake 
the  great  work  of  leading  Israel  to  freedom.  ''And 
the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Who  hath  made  man's 
mouth  ?  or  who  maketh  the  dumb,  or  deaf,  or  see- 
ing, or  the  blind?  Have  not  I  the  Lord?"  I  leave 
deformities  with  God,  because  he  claims  them  as 
his  ordering.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  do  this  ;  I 
am  glad  to  believe  that  they  do  not  come  unfore- 
seen, that  they  are  not  contrary  to  God's  plan,  but 
are  a  part  of  his  plan  and  will  work  out  a  divine 
purpose.  This  beggar  may  have  thought  that  he 
was  living  a  useless  life,  but  he  was  not.  God  had 
a  mission  for  him  as  really  as  he  had  for  any  of  the 
twelve  apostles,  and  his  mission  was  a  grand  one. 
He  was  performing  his  mission  when  he  sat  by  the 
roadside  to  be  gazed  at.  This  was  God's  way  of 
establishing  the  identity  of  the  man,  so  that  when 


CHRIST  AND   THE  BLIND   MAN.  1 53 

Christ  gave  him  sight  there  might  be  no  room  for 
doubt  that  a  notable  miracle  had  been  wrought  in 
him.  God  meant  the  man  to  be  one  of  the  most 
telling  witnesses  to  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus.  He 
meant  him  also  to  be,  an  illustration  for  all  time  of 
the  value  of  the  practical  method  of  testing  the 
claims   of  Christ. 

2.  The  history  records  the  miracle  which  Christ 
wrought  in  the  man. 

He  gave  him  the  power  of  sight.  This  was 
what  he  needed.  Christ  always  adapts  himself  to 
the  needs  of  men.  To  the  thirsty  woman  at  Ja- 
cob's well  he  is  the  *'  Living  Water ;"  to  the 
mourning  sisters  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus  he  is 
**  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life ;"  to  this  poor 
blind  man  he  is  '*  the  Light  of  the  world." 

In  giving  the  man  sight  Jesus  made  clay  out 
of  saliva  and  dust  and  anointed  the  man's  eyes, 
and  then  sent  him  to  wash  in  the  Fountain  of  Si- 
loam.  No  chemicals  were  used ;  no  surgical  opera- 
tion was  resorted  to.  The  means  were  inadequate 
to  the  end,  and  they  were  purposely  inadequate  in 
order  to  make  it  clear  that  there  was  a  divine 
power  at  work. 

The  work  of  Christ  was  complete.  The  man 
returned  from  the  Fountain  of  Siloam  seeing.  He 
was  a  new  man  ;  God  was  a  new  God  ;  the  world 
was  a  new  world.  His  soul  was  filled  with  new 
sensations.  It  would  have  been  a  grand  privilege 
to  have  been  with  that  man  on  that  glorious  day 
of  his  life.  I  should  have  liked  to  see  the  effect 
which  the  new  wonders  of  the  world  produced 
7* 


154  STUDIES   IN   JOHNS   GOSPEL. 

upon  him.  With  what  rapture  he  must  have 
looked  for  the  first  time  upon  the  charm  of  the 
human  face !  How  the  first  burst  of  cloudland, 
and  the  first  sight  of  ocean  with  its  white-crested 
waves  and  its  ceaseless  swell,,  and  the  first  sweep  of 
the  broad  landscape,  with  its  mountains  and  mead- 
ows and  valleys  and  gardens  and  sparkling  streams, 
must  have  thrilled  him.  What  did  he  think  of  the 
first  nightfall,  as  he  perceived  the  darkness  gather- 
ing about  him  ?  Did  he  cry  out  in  terror,  "  Alas ! 
Alas !  My  blindness  is  coming  back  again !"  If 
so,  his  mistaken  despair  gave  way  to  new  and  un- 
expected delights  when  he  looked  up  to  the  starry 
dome  and  watched  the  outflashing  of  the  sparkling 
stars  and  saw  the  moon  loom  over  the  horizon  in 
its  quiet  beauty.  Sight!  The  power  of  sight! 
Oh,  gracious  and  beneficent  God,  we  thank  thee 
for  it.  Such  a  marvellous  gift  should  bind  us  to 
thee  with  the  bonds  of  ceaseless  love  and  thanks- 
giving. The  thought  of  this  wonderful  gift  should 
lead  us  to  consecrate  the  glorious  light  to  the  ser- 
vice of  purity  and  should  keep  our  eyes  from 
viewing  vanities.  He  who  sins  in  broad  daylight 
sins  in  the  midst  of  the  splendor  of  God's  over- 
flowing love. 

Let  us  not  forget  that  the  miracle  is  a  parable 
of  redemption.  It  is  a  type  of  our  translation  from 
the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  marvellous  light 
of  the  gospel.  If  the  miracle  be  such  a  symbol,  we 
may  rightly  ask  the  question,  Have  we  a  spiritual 
joy  corresponding  to  this  man's  natural  joy? 
Have  we  a  spiritual  sight  corresponding  to  his 


CHRIST   AND   THE   BLIND    MAN.  1 55 

natural  sight  ?  Has  a  new  spiritual  world  burst  in 
upon  our  vision  ?  If  so,  we  see  grand  and  beauti- 
ful things  in  this  Bible  which  we  never  saw  before, 
and  which  others  do  not  see.  If  so,  we  shall  be 
able  to  see  the  beauties  which  are  in  the  Chris- 
tian's graces  and  the  loveliness  which  is  in  the 
Christian's  character.  If  so,  we  see  Christ  in  his 
true  light  and  in  all  his  glorious  attributes.  If  so, 
we  see  the  grandeur  of  the  truth  and  the  claims 
which  the  truth  has  upon  us.  If  so,  heaven  and 
immortality  and  eternity  are  great  and  influential 
facts  in  our  life. 

3.  The  ijivestigation  and  discussion  which  the  mira- 
cle called  forth. 

The  investigation  began  with  the  neighbors  of 
the  man.  To  their  amazement  he  came  into  their 
midst  seeing.  His  eyes  were  as  perfect  as  any 
man's.  At  first  they  could  not  believe  it  was  he, 
he  was  so  changed.  He  had  a  new  face.  His  face 
was  transfigured,  for  a  new  soul  was  beaming  in 
it.  Besides  this  there  was  a  pair  of  talking  eyes  in 
it,  and  these  were  never  there  before.  Out  of 
these  eyes  looked  a  new  life,  a  manhood,  a  love,  a 
joy,  a  faith,  a  purpose.  Out  of  these  eyes  looked 
every  grand  spiritual  thing  with  which  God  has 
endowed  humanity.  Now  put  all  these  things  into 
the  man's  face,  and  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  man's 
neighbors  do  not  know  him  ?  Putting  the  power 
of  sight  into  the  man  v/as  like  putting  a  light  into 
an  ice-palace  or  an  electric  jet  into  a  crystal  chan- 
delier. 

When  the   neiofhbors  were   convinced  that  a 


156  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

notable  miracle  had  been  wroug-ht,  they  took  the 
man  to  the  Sanhedrists.  The  authorities  had  de- 
nounced Christ,  but  this  miracle  conflicted  with 
their  denunciation  and  it  must  be  examined. 

The  first  thing  which  the  rabbins  did  was  to 
try  and  prove  that  no  miracle  had  been  wrought, 
that  the  man  had  never  been  blind.  They  ques- 
tioned and  cross-questioned  the  man,  but  to  no 
purpose  ;  he  had  plain  facts  to  tell,  and  he  dealt  in 
straightforward  truth.  Straightforward  truth, 
like  pure  gold,  only  shines  all  the  brighter  by 
being  put  into  the  furnace.  The  questioning  of 
others  affords  a  fine  opportunity  for  testimony- 
bearing. 

They  found  the  man  more  of  an  opponent  than 
they  expected.  Christ  had  v/onderfully  improved 
him.  He  displayed  grand  simplicity  of  speech 
and  noble  courage  of  bearing.  He  refused  to  be 
cajoled  or  brow-beaten  or  dragooned.  He  had 
been  blessed  by  Christ  and  he  stood  up  for  Christ. 
Such  was  the  depth  of  his  convictions  produced  by 
facts  that  the  logic  of  this  school  of  Jewish  Aris- 
totles  could  not  move  his  convictions.  In  the 
battle  of  logic,  although  he  was  but  a  raw  and  un- 
drilled  recruit,  he  won  the  victory  and  did  not 
leave  his  opponents  a  single  loophole  by  which  to 
escape.  He  hemmed  them  in  by  their  own  ab. 
surdities.  They  advanced  theories,  he  advanced 
facts.  They  argued  that  Jesus  could  not  be  from 
God  because  he  observed  not  their  laws  with  re- 
gard to  the  Sabbath.  He  argued  that  to  press  the 
Sabbath  question  was  to  admit  the  miracle,  and 


CHRIST  AND   THE   BLIND   MAN.  1 57 

that  to  admit  the  miracle  was  to  admit  that  God 
was  in  Jesus  and  working  by  him ;  for  no  man 
since  the  world  began  ever  gave  sight  to  one 
bom  blind.  To  hold  that  God  would  work  thus 
in  a  Godlike  way  by  a  sinner  was  to  compromise 
God.  God  will  not  contradict  himself.  The  out- 
spokenness of  the  man  is  the  chime  of  a  great 
nature. 

4.  The  Jiistory  records  the  fuller  instruction  and 
development  of  the  man  s  faith  by  CJirist. 

Christ  did  not  lose  track  of  the  man  when  he 
blessed  him  with  sight ;  he  had  higher  and  better 
blessings  for  him.  He  gave  him  spiritual  sight, 
so  that  he  might  relish  the  joys  of  salvation  and 
the  glories  of  heaven.  He  kept  himself  acquainted 
with  the  man's  noble  course,  and  when  he  was 
cast  out  of  the  synagogue,  he  sought  him  and  re- 
vealed himself  to  him.  The  man  recognized  the 
voice  of  Christ  and  looked  with  joy  into  the  face 
of  his  deliverer.  He  could  not  forget  that  voice. 
He  submitted  himself  to  the  instruction  which 
Christ  gave  him.  Christ  "began  the  development 
of  his  faith  by  putting  a  question  to  him :  "  Dost 
thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?"  This  question 
awakened  inquiry  in  the  man.  He  had  heard  of 
"men  of  God"  and  of  "prophets  of  God"  and  of 
the  "Christ  of  God,"  but  "the  Son  of  God,"  that 
was  a  new  term  to  him  ;  so  he  asked,  "  Who  is  he. 
Lord,  that  I  might  believe  on  him  ?"  Then  Christ 
told  him  that  He  who  spoke  to  him  was  the  Son  of 
God.  The  man  through  his  reasoning  with  the 
Pharisees  was  ready  for  this  declaration,  wonder- 


158  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

ful  as  it  was,  and  so  he  at  once  responded,  ''  Lord, 
I  believe."  So  he  at  once  bowed  and  worshipped 
Him.  This  was  the  highest  homage  that  Christ 
had  yet  received  from  man. 

The  growth  of  this  man's  faith  was  grand  and 
magnificent.  It  was  a  parallel  with  the  growth  of 
the  faith  of  the  woman  of  Samaria.  It  was  a  par- 
allel with  the  growth  of  the  faith  of  the  apostle 
Thomas,  which  reached  that  point  of  enthusiasm 
that  it  cried,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God !"  It  reached 
a  climax  as  grand  as  the  climax  of  Thomas*  faith, 
and  it  reached  it  through  testing  Christ  by  the 
practical  method.  It  began  at  the  far-off  point 
where  it  merely  called  Christ  "a  man."  It 
advanced  to  the  point  where  it  was  able  to 
speak  of  him  as  ''a  prophet."  It  took  another 
step  and  called  him  *'the  sinless  one."  Then  it 
took  the  last  step  and  called  him  "  the  Son  of  God." 
When  it  reached  this  point  it  worshipped  him  as 
God.  There  could  scarcely  be  a  grander  growth 
in  faith  than  this.  Yet  it  is  the  growth  of  faith 
according  to  the  practical  method.  The  man 
simply  did  what  Christ  told  him  to  do,  and  found 
that  Christ  was  all  that  He  claimed  to  be. 

y    ^ --^jj^^vA..-^      lA.  DEDUCTIONS. 

I.  Christ's  work  in  the  Christian  should  bear  in- 
specticn. 

As  Christians  we  should  be  able  to  stand 
searching  through  and  through  by  our  neighbors. 
There  should  be  a  noticeable  change  in  us  attract- 
ing attention.     When  Christ  wrought  his  work  in 


CHRIST  AND   THE   BLIND    MAN.  1 59 

the  blind  beggar,  the  man  was  changed.  He 
ceased  to  be  a  beggar.  His  face  was  changed,  it 
was  literally  transformed.  He  was  a  new  man, 
and  so  new  was  he  that  men  were  compelled  to 
come  and  ask  him,  "Who  changed  you?"  His 
reply  was,  ''Jesus  did."  Christ  revealed  himself 
through  this  man.  As  it  was  with  him  so  it  should 
be  with  us.  Christ  should  find  a  revelation  in  and 
through  us.  Men  should  find  in  us  a  changed 
life,  changed  associations,  changed  sentiments. 
They  should  see  in  us  the  out-shining  of  Christ's 
power.  Now  is  this  the  case?  What  do  our 
neighbors  and  friends  think  of  us  ?  If  they  search 
us  will  they  find  Christ  in  us  ? 

2.  Christ  submits  himself  and  his  religion  to  be 
tested  in  the  most  practical  and  matter-of-fact  way. 

He  submits  his  religion  to  the  test  of  experi- 
ence. When  a  man  tries  it  by  experience,  it 
speaks  for  itself.  Nothing  could  be  simpler  than 
this :  "  Submit  your  life  to  my  religion,  and  see  if 
it  be  not  what  I  claim  for  it."  Do  the  things  of 
Christ.  The  blind  man  of  this  story  did  what 
Christ  told  him,  and  he  found  an  assurance  of  the 
truth  of  what  Christ  told  him.  In  this  way  he 
reached  faith  in  Christ.  And  what  a  faith  his 
was!  There  was  nothing  conditional  about  it, 
nothing  half-hearted.  It  v/as  positive  and  thor- 
ough. Such  always  is  the  character  of  faith 
reached  through  experience.  It  is  a  faith  fully 
rounded  and  comprehensive. 

We  need  the  practical  method  of  testing  Christ. 
We  need  it  because  there  are  some  things  in  the 


l6o  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

religion  of  Christ  whicli  can  only  be  known 
through  experience.  Take  for  example  one  of 
the  sayings  of  Christ,  his  magnificent  beatitude, 
"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God."  That  beatitude  is  an  unknown  thing  until 
by  experience  it  is  made  a  reality  in  our  lives. 
We  know  the  truth  of  that  beatitude  only  when 
we  reach  purity  of  heart  and  see  God.  Brethren, 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  personal  thing; 
it  means  personal  pardon,  personal  peace,  per- 
sonal indwelling  of  Christ.  It  must  therefore  be 
personally  tested  in  order  to  be  known.  It  mat- 
ters not  how  strong  a  man  may  be  intellectually 
or  how  much  he  may  know  as  a  scholar  or  how 
many  professions  he  may  have  mastered,  he  is  no 
authority  on  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  until  he 
has  honestly  subjected  his  life  to  Christ  and  tested 
Christ's  moulding  power.  He  may  be  an  author- 
ity upon  science,  but  not  an  authority  upon  reli- 
gion. Until  he  does  this  it  is  presumption  and  a 
contradiction  of  reason  and  common  sense  that 
he  should  undertake  to  pronounce  upon  Christ  and 
his  religion. 

Christ  cannot  be  seen  in  an  unholy  life  any 
more  than  Westminster  can  be  seen  in  a  London 
fog.  A  low  life  always  lowers  one's  creed-  A 
loose  practice  begets  loose  thinking.  Men  drag 
Christ  down  to  the  level  of  their  living.  Great 
minds  are  skeptical  because  their  lives  are  skep- 
tical. Conduct  always  affects  faith.  We  rejoice 
in  all  the  confirmation  which  comes  to  our  faith 
in  Christ  from  the  line  of  historical  evidence,  but 


CHRIST  AND   THE   BLIND   MAN.  l6r 

after  all  it  is  Christ  working  in  us  that  builds  us 
up  in  the  broadest,  firmest,  and  most  sensible  faith. 
It  is  the  men  who  live  the  Christian  life  that  know 
the  things  of  Christ.  It  is  Eunyan's  Christian 
that  knows  what  the  land  of  Beulah  is  and  what 
are  the  glories  of  the  Delectable  Mountains. 

Christ  and  his  religion  do  not  shrink  from 
close  scrutiny.  They  court  it.  They  beg  to  be 
tested.  They  plead  with  men  to  put  them  side  by 
side  w^ith  other  leaders  and  systems.  They  chal- 
lenge the  world  to  produce  a  higher  type  of  char- 
acter than  that  which  they  produce.  They  ask  for 
nobler  principles  than  theirs.  They  ask  for 
grander  results.  They  ask  for  the  production  of 
their  equals.  Christ  and  Christianity  give  them- 
selves to  the  world  to  be  contrasted.  This  is  a 
fearless  and  an  honest  thing  to  do,  and  in  itself 
ought  to  win  respect. 

Let  us  deal  faithfully  with  Christ  and  Chris- 
tianity. If  we  do,  heaven  with  its  higher  things 
will  some  day  burst  in  upon  our  vision.  We  will 
some  day  see  the  King  in  his  beauty.  Faithful- 
ness to  the  light  which  we  now  have  will  secure 
to  us  the  unclouded  and  perfect  light  of  eternity, 
and  this  we  shall  enjoy  with  un dimmed  and  per- 
fect eyes.  The  ceaseless  ages  will  unfold  their 
enrapturing  beauties  to  us,  and  these  will  fully 
equal  the  brightest  pictures  painted  by  our  en- 
kindled imagination. 


EtnUicB  in  John's  Gospr 


l62  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. 

"I  AM  THE  Good  Shepherd."— /(?A«  io:ii. 

We  must  get  rid  of  our  American  ideas  of 
shepherding.  This  is  the  first  requisite  to  the 
successful  study  of  this  allegory.  Christ  never 
likened  himself  to  a  Texan  herdsman  or  to  a 
Kansas  ranchman.  He  likened  himself  to  the 
Oriental  shepherd,  who  loves  his  flock,  and  identi- 
fies himself  with  the  interest  of  every  sheep. 
When  Jesus  talked  of  the  shepherd  life,  his  words 
were  sweetest  music  to  his  Judsean  hearers.  They 
struck  tender  chords  and  awoke  tender  memories. 
His  hearers  felt  themselves  translated  in  thought 
to  some  mountain-top  of  Palestine,  to  Carmel's 
summit  or  to  one  of  the  peaks  of  Lebanon,  from 
which  they  could  see  the  shepherds  of  the  country, 
amid  their  clustering  flocks,  caring  for  them  as  a 
father  would  care  for  his  children.  Some  lead 
their  flock  up  the  mountain  defile,  giving  the  help 
of  their  crook  to  the  feeble  among  the  climbing 
sheep  and  carrying  a* lamb  or  two  in  their  bosom. 
Some  lead  their  flocks  down  to  the  brooklet  for 
drink.  Some  cause  their  flocks  to  recline  under 
the  shadows  of  the  jutting  rocks  for  rest  during 
the  heat  of  the  day.  Some,  in  the  far-away  and 
wild  ravines,  stand  between  their  flocks  and  death 
while  they  fight  and  slay  the  prowling  wolves. 

The  true  shepherd  life  of  Judaea  in  the  time  of 


CHRIST   THE  GOOD    SHEPHERD.  1 63 

Christ  was  connected  witti  all  tliat  was  grand  and 
pure.  It  was  connected  with  the  sublimities  of  a 
solitude  which  was  broken  only  by  the  tinkling 
bells  of  the  flock  and  the  sweet  floating  notes  of 
the  shepherd's  pipe  and  by  the  solemn  strains  of 
the  shepherd's  harp.  It  was  connected  with  the 
still  starry  night  full  of  contemplation,  or  with  the 
brilliant  day  of  crystalline  atmosphere  which  made 
all  the  beauties  of  nature  stand  forth  in  the  boldest 
outline.  Living  in  the  midst  of  such  surround- 
ings, a  good  vshepherd  was  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  finest  types  of  a  man.  He  stood  for  the  em- 
bodiment of  sympathy  and  pity  and  tender-heart- 
edness and  self-sacrifice  and  courage.  The  rela- 
tion between  him  and  his  sheep  was  such  as  to 
develop  and  manifest  these  and  kindred  traits. 
Certainly  this  is  not  an  American  picture.  We 
must  get  rid  of  certain  American  ideas  of  shep- 
herding, with  its  nameless  sheep  and  cracking 
whips  and  barking  dogs  and  loveless  driving  and 
pushing.  The  only  relation  between  a  rough 
ranchman  and  his  sheep  is  a  market  relation.  He 
thinks  of  them  only  as  so  much  wool  and  so  many 
pounds  of  mutton.  He  does  not  see  them  as  they 
are  before  him.  His  eye  is  on  them  after  they 
have  passed  through  the  slaughter-house.  He 
sees  them  as  they  hang  in  the  market  stalls  of 
New  York  and  London  and  Berlin  and  Paris. 
There  is  no  poetry  connected  with  a  Western 
ranch.  The  poet  of  the  ranch  is  an  unborn  crea- 
ture of  the  future.  A  Texan  herdsman  or  a  Kan- 
sas ranchman  is  very  unlike  Jacob  on  the  Syrian 


1 64  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

plains  feeding  Laban's  flocks,  or  David  on  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem  protecting  the  sheep  of  Jesse 
his  father. 

This  Scripture  is  not  the  first  to  introduce  the 
shepherd  character  of  Christ.  This  character  is 
prominent  among  the  prophetic  pictures  of  the 
coming  Messiah.  Isaiah  portrays  it,  and  so  does 
Zephaniah.  It  is  a  word-painting  of  Christ  which 
the  Hebrew  poet  gives  us  in  his  Shepherd  Psalm. 
The  poet  had  reached  mature  life  ;  he  had  passed 
through  many  trying  experiences ;  he  saw  before 
him  a  checkered  future,  and  he  felt  that  he  must 
say  something  to  his  soul  to  establish  it  in  peace 
and  hope.  How  shall  he  express  himself?  The 
experience  of  his  shepherd  life  in  boyhood  comes 
back  to  him  and  gives  him  a  figure  in  which  to 
speak  of  his  God:  "The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd, 
and  I  shall  not  want.  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down 
in  green  pastures ;  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still 
waters.  He  restoreth  my  soul ;  he  leadeth  me  in 
the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his  own  name's 
sake.  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of 
the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil ;  for  thou 
art  with  me ;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort 
me."  This  picture  of  David's  God  Christ  claims 
as  a  picture  of  himself  when  he  says,  "  I  am  the 
Good  Shepherd."  It  is  not  without  significance 
that  when  Christ  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  where 
that  beautiful  Psalm  was  inspired,  his  advent  into 
the  world  was  first  announced  to  the  shepherds 
who  were  watching  over  their  flocks  by  night.  It 
was  the  sheep-cotes  and  the  sheep-pasture  of  Beth- 


CHRIST   THE   GOOD   SHEPHERD.  1 65 

lehem  that  were  illumined  by  the  shechinal  fires 
which  flamed  in  the  sky  and  illumined  the  plains. 
It  was  to  Bethlehem  shepherds  that  the  angel 
faces  flashed  out  on  the  great  dome  with  greater 
beauty  than  a  Raphael  fresco.  It  v/as  upon  the 
ears  of  Bethlehem  shepherds  that  the  natal  anthem 
fell,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth  peace, 
good-will  towards  men."  Jesus  was  the  great  and 
real  Shepherd,  of  whom  all  good  shepherds  were 
but  types,  and  when  he  came  it  was  only  fitting 
that  he  should  first  of  all  be  exalted  and  revealed 
among  the  faithful  shepherds,  vigilant  even  in 
the  night  watches,  upon  the  plains  of  Bethlehem, 
where  David  wove  his  Shepherd  Psalm  on  the 
loom  of  his  shepherd  experience. 

What  Christ  does  for  his  flock  establishes  his 
character  as  a  good  Shepherd.  Therefore  what 
he  does  is  set  forth  by  this  Scripture.  What  does 
Christ  do  for  the  church,  his  flock  ?  This  is  the 
one  question  around  which  we  are  called  to  centre 
our  thinking  as  we  open  up  this  parable. 

I.  CHRIST  AS  A  SHEPHERD  INDIVIDUALIZES  AND 
DEALS  PERSONALLY  WITH  EVERY  MEMBER  OF 
HIS  FLOCK. 

He  tells  us  that  he  names  them  by  name.  Al- 
most every  shepherd  in  the  East  names  his  sheep. 
To  us  a  flock  of  sheep  look  monotonously  alike  and 
hopelessly  indistinguishable.  But  this  is  not  the 
case  with  an  Oriental  shepherd.  He  studies  each 
sheep.  He  knows  its  pedigree,  its  instincts,  its 
disposition,  its  habits.     He  treats  it  as  an  Arabian 


1 66  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

horseman  treats  his  blooded  charger.  He  gives  it 
its  separate  and  distinct  name.  Sometimes  he 
chooses  a  name  which  is  characteristic  of  its  indi- 
vidnahty  and  personaHty.  He  makes  it  his  task 
to  teach  it  and  famiHarize  it  with  its  name.  He 
has  time  for  all  this  during  the  long  days  which 
he  and  his  flock  spend  alone.  By  this  personal 
teaching  he  becomes  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
each  member  of  his  fold,  and  each  member  of  his 
fold  becomes  acquainted  with  him. 

Travellers  tell  us  interesting  stories  concern- 
ing the  friendships  between  shepherds  and  their 
sheep.  These  stories  emphasize  the  words  of 
Christ,  *'  A  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will 
flee  from  him."  One  traveller  relates  that  once  he 
found  on  a  hillside  in  Greece  three  shepherds  with 
flocks  of  six  and  seven  hundred.  Every  sheep 
answered  to  its  name.  He  experimented  with  the 
sheep.  He  called  them  by  name,  but  they  gave 
him  no  attention.  When  the  shepherd  called 
them  they  came  at  once.  Then  he  claimed  that 
the  sheep  knew  the  shepherd  by  his  dress  and 
not  by  his  voice.  The  shepherd  changed  clothes 
with  him.  But  the  traveller  in  the  shepherd's 
clothes  was  still  treated  as  a  stranger,  and  the 
shepherd  in  the  stranger's  clothes  was  recognized 
as  the  shepherd. 

Let  us  grasp  the  great  fact  which  is  set  in 
prominence  here,  viz.,  God  individualizes.  He 
treats  us  as  separate  personalities.  This  is  one  of 
the  hardest  facts  to  realize.  We  say  that  we  be- 
lieve it,  but  we  act  as  though  we  did  not.     Still,  no 


CHRIST   THE   GOOD    SHEPHERD.  167 

fact  can  be  more  clearly  established.  The  micro- 
scope establishes  it.  It  shows  that  when  God  deals 
with  the  world  he  deals  with  the  atoms  of  the 
world.  Under  the  microscope  this  vast  world  of 
ours  is  only  a  system  built  up  of  finished  and  pol- 
ished atoms.  Each  crystal  in  the  snowflake  is 
perfect.  Each  dewdrop  is  a  perfect  sphere.  God 
individualizes  every  gem  and  constructs  it  sepa- 
rately. He  individualizes  the  flowers  and  gives 
them  a  separate  finish.  They  are  all  hand-painted. 
There  is  nothing  of  the  machine-chromo  about 
them.  To  one  he  gives  fire-hues,  and  to  another 
he  gives  gentle  tints.  If  God  individualizes  atoms, 
crystals  in  the  snowflakes,  brilliant  stones,  flowers, 
these  lower  things,  he  certainly  must  individualize 
immortal  men,  the  highest  beings  in  his  creation. 

We  can  know  the  fact  from  human  experience. 
I  know  that  infidels  do  not  admit  this ;  but  what 
do  we  care  for  infidels  ?  We  are  not  seeking  either 
infidel  thought  or  the  infidel  type  of  life.  Infidels 
say,  "  Even  suppose  this  world  of  ours  were  lost,  it 
is  too  small  for  God  to  be  occupied  about.  It  is  a 
mere  fragment  of  a  world  among  millions  of  mil- 
lions. It  is  contrary  to  common  sense  and  the  dic- 
tates of  humanity  to  represent  God  as  busy  about 
so  insignificant  a  sphere."  Byron  has  sung  this 
objection,  and  Hume  has  reasoned  it  out.  But 
Christ,  eighteen  hundred  year*  before  these  names 
were  known,  pointed  out  the  perfect  humanity  of 
such  a  course  upon  the  part  of  God.  "  Which  of 
you  having  a  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  but  one, 
would  not  leave  the  ninety-and-nine  and  go  forth 


l68  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

and  searcti  for  the  lost  one  until  he  found  it  ?  And 
when  he  found  it  what  joy  he  would  have !  He 
would  call  in  his  neighbors  and  make  a  feast." 
The  point  of  the  parable  of  the  Lost  Sheep  is  to 
show  that  as  man  individualizes  his  possessions,  so 
does  God.  In  the  deepest  and  truest  instincts  of 
our  nature  we  find  a  reflection  of  the  ways  of 
God. 

Open  the  Bible  and  the  same  fact  is  there.  The 
Bible  is  full  of  human  names.  God  is  represented 
there  as  being  in  personal  and  covenant  relation 
with  his  chosen  ones.  He  calls  them  by  their 
name.  Samuel  heard  his  nam^e  pronounced  by  the 
lips  of  God,  so  did  Elijah.  God  changed  Jacob's 
name.  God  coupled,  the  names  of  Abraham  and 
Moses  with  his  own  holy  name  in  the  songs  of  the 
church.  This  was  God's  address  to  his  covenant 
people  in  the  days  of  old :  "  Fear  not,  for  I  have 
redeemed  thee :  I  have  called  thee  by  thy  name." 
Thus  we  find  it  in  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  the 
same  in  the  New  Testament,  when  God  walks 
among  men  in  Jesus  Christ.  Christ  tells  his  disci- 
ples that  they  are  his  chosen  friends.  He  calls 
them  familiarly  by  name,  and  they  feel  the  love 
indicated  by  this  manner.  What  a  response  of 
love  and  faith  and  joy  there  was  from  that  lone 
weeping  woman  at  the  sepulchre  when  Jesus  spoke 
her  simple  name,  "  Mary  r 

Christ  by  a  wonderful  analogy,  which  only  he 
dare  use,  sets  forth  the  reciprocal  acquaintance  and 
intimacy  between  him  and  his  people :  '*  I  am  the 
Good   Shepherd,   and   know  my   sheep,   and   am 


CHRIST   THE   GOOD    SHEPHERD.  169 

known  of  mine ;  as  the  Father  knoweth  me,  and  as 
I  know  the  Father." 

This  great  fact  carries  certain  duties. 

(a.)  Does  Christ  recognize  our  individuality^  we 
should  recognize  and  develop  it. 

We  live  in  units,  and  not  in  crowds.  God  has 
made  us  distinct,  and  we  should  recognize  this  as 
he  does,  and  culture  that  which  constitutes  the 
Ego,  the  self,  in  us.  I  believe  that  we  should  indi- 
vidualize even  our  faculties  and  train  them.  We 
should  deal  separately  with  will  and  conscience 
and  affection  and  reason.  God  wants  us  to  make 
the  most  of  ourselves  and  to  be  ourselves.  He 
does  not  want  us  to  be  like  cast-iron  men  coming 
from  one  mould,  or  like  photographs  struck  off 
from  the  same  negative.  We  can  best  serve  God 
by  working  in  accordance  with  our  own  nature. 
This  has  been  the  way  in  which  all  who  have 
reached  prominence  in  the  church  have  worked. 
The  work  of  the  church  has  been  carried  on  by 
Paul  with  his  logic  and  great  brain ;  by  John  with 
his  love-force  and  great  heart ;  by  Peter  with  his 
courageous  enterprise  and  dash;  by  ApoUos  with 
his  eloquence  which  could  stir  up  the  graces  which 
Paul  had  planted  ;  by  Thomas  with  his  slow-work- 
ing mind,  which  took  nothing  for  granted,  but 
demanded  facts.  Thus  it  was  in  Bible  times.  It 
is  the  same  in  our  times.  The  work  of  the  church 
has  been  carried  on  by  Guthrie  with  his  power  of 
illustration ;  by  Duff  with  his  missionary  zeal ;  by 
Hamilton  with  his  poetry ;  by  Chalmers  with  his 
metaphysical  nature ;  by  Drummond  and  MacMil- 
8 


I/O  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

Ian  with  their  love  of  nature  and  the  operations  of 
God  there  ;  by  Spurgeon  with  his  level-headedness 
and  common-sense. 

(b.)   We  should  reciprocate^  a?id  individualize  Christ. 

He  individualizes  us,  we  should  individualize 
him.  We  should  set  him  forth  as  distinct  from 
and  above  all  who  would  teach  us  and  claim  a  fol- 
lowing from  us.  We  should  individualize  him 
among  the  thinkers  of  the  world  and  give  him  the 
first  place.  It  is  our  duty  to  so  know  Christ  that 
we  can  tell  his  voice.  What  is  his  voice  ?  It  is 
the  gospel.  We  should  so  know  him  and  his 
voice  that  when  a  maxim  or  a  command  or  a 
principle  or  a  project  is  set  before  us  for  accept- 
ance, we  shall  be  able  to  say.  This  is  not  of  Christ ; 
it  has  none  of  his  spirit  or  tone  in  it ;  it  is  of  the 
world,  it  is  of  self  ;  or.  Yes,  this  is  of  Christ,  and 
we  accept  of  it. 

II.   CHRIST  AS  A  SHEPHERD  LEADS  AND  FEEDS  HIS 
FLOCK. 

These  are  the  functions  of  an  Oriental  shep- 
herd. He  leads  his  flock,  and  his  flock  follows. 
The  flocks  of  the  neighborhood  are  housed  for  the 
night  in  one  fold  and  under  a  common  keeper. 
In  the  morning  the  shepherd  comes  and  calls  his 
own  out  from  the  general  company.  He  does  this 
by  naming  the  name  of  each.  As  he  calls,  the 
sheep  respond,  and  in  a  flock  follow  him  to  the 
chosen  pasture  of  the  day.  But  he  not  only  leads, 
he  feeds  his  flock.  He  maps  out  the  country  and 
makes  the  best  choice.     When  pasture  is  scarce, 


CHRIST    THE   GOOD    SHEPHERD.  I /I 

"  for  the  sake  of  a  single  handful  of  grass  he  will 
climb  precipices  almost  perpendicular  and  stand 
on  ledges  of  rocks  where  wild  goats  will  scarcely 
venture."  When  the  noontide  of  the  day  is 
reached,  when  the  sunbeams  pierce  like  swords 
and  the  stones  burn  the  foot  which  touches  them, 
he  gathers  the  sheep  under  the  shade  of  the  rocks 
by  the  well  of  water  where  he  slakes  their  thirst. 

Christ  performs  these  two  functions  of  the 
shepherd ;  he  leads  and  he  feeds.  Stress  must  be 
laid  upon  the  phrase  "  He  leads''  It  emphasizes 
his  tenderness.  He  does  not  drive,  he  leads.  It 
brings  out  the  possibility  of  walking  as  a  Christian. 
The  Christian's  way  is  open.  He  is  only  called  to 
walk  in  the  footsteps  of  Christ.  Christ  is  a  com- 
plete example.  He  began  his  human  life  in  a 
cradle  that  we  might  have  his  footsteps  to  guide 
us  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  There  are  foot- 
prints for  little  feet  and  there  are  foot-prints  for 
full-grown  feet.  The  requirements  of  the  Chris- 
tian life  are  all  practicable,  for  Jesus  put  them  all 
into  life.  He  asks  us  to  do  nothing  he  has  not 
done.  Stress  must  be  laid  upon  the  phrase  "  He 
leads,''  because  it  brings  out  the  spirit  of  the  true 
Christian  life.  Between  Christ  and  the  Christian 
there  is  a  meeting  of  affinities ;  there  is  a  oneness 
of  wills.  The  whole  relation  of  discipleship  is  that 
of  liberty.  It  is  true  that  self-surrender  is  the  door 
into  God's  fold,  but  the  required  self-surrender  is 
voluntary.  The  Christian  surrenders  himself  to 
Christ  as  Christ  surrenders  himself  to  the  Chris- 
tian.     Christ  and  self-surrender  are  synonymous 


172  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

terms,  therefore  it  is  that  Christ  is  called  the  door 
to  God's  fold.  Self-surrender  is  Christ  in  a  practi- 
cal form.  The  true  Christian  has  his  heart  as  well 
as  his  conscience  in  his  Christian  life.  He  is  led, 
not  driven.  He  follows,  he  is  not  forced.  He  acts 
from  privilege,  not  from  duty  ;  from  choice,  not 
from  compulsion. 

TJie  accuracy  of  Christ's  leading  should  not  be  over- 
looked. 

This  is  beautifully  set  forth  by  a  poetic  word- 
painting-  by  the  prophet  Isaiah.  That  we  may  feel 
the  accuracy  of  the  leading  of  God  in  the  human 
life,  the  prophet  calls  us  to  look  at  the  accuracy  of 
God's  leading  in  the  starry  realm.  He  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  heavenly  flock  of  worlds.  He  is  the 
Shepherd  of  the  stars,  and  they  lie  under  his  sight 
in  the  wide  fields  of  space  like  a  flock.  The  tele- 
scope reveals  the  accuracy  of  his  leading  as  the 
Shepherd  of  the  stars.  The  astronomer's  calcula- 
tions also  show  it.  A  friend  of  mine  relates  a  visit 
which  he  made  to  Harvard  College  which  may 
serve  as  an  illustration  here.  The  object  of  his 
visit  was  to  see  the  operation  of  a  new  astronomi- 
cal instrument.  A  star  was  due  at  5  :  20  P.  M.,  ac- 
cording to  the  astronomer's  calculations.  The  in- 
strument was  directed  to  the  star.  When  the  star 
crossed  the  spider-web  line  of  the  instrument,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  professor,  who  looked  through 
the  instrument,  should  pronounce  the  word 
"  Here,"  and  that  his  assistant,  who  watched  the 
second-hand  of  the  clock,  should  let  his  hammer 
fall  upon  the  marble  table  the  instant  the  clock 


CHRIST    THE   GOOD   SHEPHERD. 


73 


registered  5  :  20.  Suddenly  two  sounds  broke  the 
impressive  silence :  the  voice  of  the  professor  and 
the  tap  of  the  hammer  were  positively  simultane- 
ous. God's  guidance  of  the  stars,  according  to  the 
most  advanced  science,  is  perfectly  accurate.  Stars 
or  souls,  it  matters  not  which  he  guides,  his  own 
perfect  nature  requires  that  his  guidance  shall  be 
perfect.  Of  his  own  people  the  Bible  says,  "  He 
guides  them  on  every  side."  "  The  steps  of  a  good 
man  are  ordered  of  the  Lord."  Not  merely  his  gen- 
eral course  of  life,  but  his  steps,  his  life  in  detail. 

But  our  Shepherd  feeds  as  well  as  guides.  In 
this  also  he  excels.  Comparative  theology  shows 
this.  All  Christ  needs  is  to  be  put  in  comparison 
with  shepherd  Confucius  and  shepherd  Buddha 
and  shepherd  Mohammed  and  the  lesser  leaders 
of  modern  times.  Buddha,  for  example,  according 
to  Edwin  Arnold's  ''  Light  of  Asia,"  gives  us  beau- 
tiful thoughts.  Yes,  but  these  are  not  food.  They 
are  golden  fruit  upon  a  painted  canvas,  they  are 
not  fruit  on  living  trees.  You  cannot  feed  on 
painted  fruit  any  more  than  you  can  warm  your- 
self by  a  painted  fire.  Jesus  feeds  our  souls  with 
living  thoughts  and  real  facts  and  holy  principles 
and  heavenly  views,  and  not  upon  mere  beautiful 
fancies.  He  gives  us  the  same  great  spiritualities 
which  feed  and  satisfy  God's  own  nature. 

Look  at  the  men  whom  Christ  makes.     The 
flock  shows  its  feeding.     Behold  John  and  Peter 
and  Paul  and  Augustine  and  Calvin  and  Knox. 
Christ  broadens  and  fills  up  our  life  in  every  con- . 
ceivable  and  possible  way,  physically,  socially,  in- 


1/4  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

tellectually,  and  spiritually.  Christ  blesses  us  on 
every  side  of  our  nature.  That  is  what  he  means 
when  he  tells  us  in  this  shepherd  chapter,  "  I  am 
come  that  ye  may  have  life,  and  that  ye  may  have 
it  more  abundantly."  It  always  goes  well  with 
men  when  God  is  allowed  to  work  out  his  ideas 
with  regard  to  them.  How  well  it  went  with  Israel 
when  they  yielded  themselves  up  to  God !  Their 
history  was  characterized  by  great  men,  great 
deeds,  great  victories,  great  institutions,  and  great 
progress.  He  gave  them  the  finest  of  the  wheat. 
The  patriot  of  Israel  saw  this ;  hence  his  prayer 
for  his  nation,  which  recognized  the  nation's  de- 
pendence upon  God :  "  Feed  with  thy  staff,  O  God, 
the  flock  of  thine  inheritance,  that  wander,  scat- 
tered and  alone,  in  the  wood :  feed  them  once 
more  on  the  slopes  of  Carmel :  let  them  feed,  O 
my  God,  in  Bashan  and  Gilead,  as  in  the  days  of 
old."     Micah  7  :  14. 

III.   CHRIST  AS  A   SHEPHERD   PROTECTS  AND   FOLDS 
HIS  FLOCK. 

No  part  of  the  shepherd's  task  was  more  im- 
portant in  the  ancient  Orient  than  this.  The 
flocks  were  in  constant  danger.  They  were  ex- 
posed to  robbers,  wolves,  mountain  torrents,  en- 
tangling thickets,  deceptive  precipices,  and  pitiless 
storms.  What  ravages  would  have  been  made  in 
Jesse's  flock  if  the  shepherd  lad  David  had  not 
bearded  the  lion  and  slain  the  bear !  The  Orien- 
tals tell  many  stories  of  bravery  to  their  children, 
the  coming  shepherds  of  the  future,  that  they  may 


CHRIST   THE   GOOD   SHEPHERD.  I75 

make  them  brave  and  true.  They  tell  of  one 
brave  boy  who  stood  his  ground  against  a  whole 
band  of  robbers  and  slew  every  one  of  them.  He 
himself,  however,  fell  exhausted  from  his  wounds. 
They  found  him  dead  in  the  midst  of  his  flock, 
literally  cut  in  pieces.  The  romance  of  the  story 
comes  in  at  the  close.  The  sheep  mourned  for 
him  as  if  they  were  human.  They  refused  to  be 
folded  anywhere  except  at  the  spot  where  he  fell. 
There  a  fold  was  built  at  the  dictation  of  the  saved 
flock,  and  there  it  stood  for  centuries  as  the  monu- 
ment to  the  brave  shepherd-boy.  That  story  may 
be  fancy,  or  it  may  be  fact  colored  beyond  recogni- 
tion ;  but  the  story  of  Christ's  sacrifice  for  us  is  no 
fancy.  He  died  on  Calvary,  and  it  is  not  possible 
for  language  to  over-color  what  he  suffered  for  us, 
or  to  over-state  the  benefits  which  accrue  to  us 
from  his  sacrificial  death. 

His  atonement  is  our  protection  from  the  law 
which  would  smite  us  with  a  death-blow.  Let  me 
illustrate  by  a  familiar  story,  first  told  by  an  Eng- 
lish clergyman.  An  Englishman  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  became  a  naturalized  citizen.  He  after- 
ward removed  to  Spain.  For  some  cause  he  was 
apprehended  by  the  Spanish  courts  and  con- 
demned to  death.  The  English  and  American 
consuls  interceded  for  him,  but  in  vain.  The  day 
of  execution  came  and  he  was  blindfolded  and  set 
up  to  be  shot.  A  line  of  soldiery  levelled  their 
muskets  at  him,  but  as  they  did  so,  the  American 
consul,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  in  his  hand, 
leaped  out  before  the  guns  and  ran  to  him  and 


176  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

wrapped  him  in  the  American  flag.  He  then 
turned  and  defied  the  rifles  of  Spain.  Folded  in 
this  flag  he  was  safe.  That  flag  put  the  American 
nation  between  him  and  death.  There  is  a  better 
flag  than  the  American  flag.  It  is  the  blood-red 
flag  of  the  atonement.  This  is  the  flag  which 
Christ  wraps  around  us,  and  at  it  the  muskets 
of  God's  law  dare  not  fire  a  single  shot.  All 
this  Christ  tells  us  in  this  shepherd  -  chapter 
when  he  says  that  he  lays  down  his  life  for  his 
sheep. 

Part  of  the  protection  of  any  flock  is  its  proper 
folding.  Christ  as  the  Shepherd  of  souls  folds  his 
followers  in  the  church.  Ninety-nine  times  out  of 
a  hundred  men  are  safer  in  the  church  than  they 
are  out  of  it.  Our  security  is  in  Christian  fellow- 
ship versus  isolation.  The  mutual  duties  which 
the  Bible  enjoins  upon  us  require  church  fellow- 
ship for  performance.  We  need  the  ordinances 
of  the  church  and  the  duties  of  the  church  and 
the  responsibilities  which  the  church  lays  upon  us 
and  even  the  discipline  of  the  church.  These  are 
our  protections  against  the  world  and  its  evils. 

There  is  an  eternal  folding  of  Christians  by  the 
Lord.  The  celestial  city,  with  its  jasper  walls  and 
pearly  gates  and  many  mansions,  is  converted  into 
an  eternal  fold.  In  that  city  Jesus  will  feed  his 
flock  gathered  from  the  nations  and  will  lead 
them  unto  living  fountains  of  water. 

The  shepherd-character  of  Christ  ought  to  give 
us  confidence  in  him  in  the  trying  scenes  of  life. 
These  are  explainable.    They  are  parts  of  his  wise 


CHRIST  THE  GOOD   SHEPHERD.  1 77 

leading.  The  coffin  is  sent  into  the  home  for 
the  loved  child.  Are  the  Shepherd's  love  and  will 
in  that?  Yes.  He  takes  the  lambs  in  his  arms 
and  carries  them  to  the  heavenly  fold,  that  the 
parent's  heart  may  follow  and  live  in  heaven.  The 
trials  of  life  are  preventive  of  evil.  In  Scotland, 
when  the  snowstorm  sweeps  the  hill,  the  shep- 
herd leads  his  flock  out  into  the  cutting  winds 
and  up  to  the  storm-side  of  the  hill.  Why  does 
he  expose  them  thus  ?  Does  he  mean  that  they 
shall  perish  ?  No.  He  adopts  this  plan  to  keep 
them  from  perishing.  If  he  allowed  them  to  re- 
main in  the  shelter  of  the  valley  they  would  be 
buried  in  the  drift.  Whenever  Christ  takes  us  to 
the  storm-side  of  the  hill  he  means  to  rescue  us 
from  burial  in  the  drift  of  evil. 


Btndies  lu  Jcliu'e  Qospel. 


178  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  OF 
LAZARUS. 

"Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life." 
—John  1 1 :  25. 

The  Christian  world  has  never  grown  weary 
in  praising  this  chapter  of  John's  Gospel.  It  has 
been  said  that  for  thrilling  interest  and  significant 
import  it  stands  without  a  rival  in  evangelical  his- 
tory. This  is  true.  It  is  a  chapter  that  quivers 
with  life  and  interest  and  pathos.  It  has  been 
said  that  every  sentence  in  the  chapter  has  the 
touch  of  nature.  This  also  is  true.  Art  has  no 
part  in  this  narrative.  Not  a  touch  of  her  pencil 
can  be  traced.  Her  skilful  hand  could  add  noth- 
ing to  that  which  in  itself  is  inimitably  sublime. 
The  story  is  its  own  witness.  It  proves  its  own 
historic  certitude.  Truth  and  authenticity  shine 
out  in  it  from  beginning  to  end.  The  story  is  not 
made,  it  is  simply  told.  It  is  not  fiction,  it  is  fact. 
The  mind  of  man  could  not  weave  a  story  like 
this,  it  was  woven  by  events.  It  is  too  natural 
and  too  consistent  with  itself  to  be  a  fabrication. 
Mary  is  too  much  like  Mary  as  we  have  seen  her 
elsewhere,  and  Martha  is  too  much  like  Martha. 
Then  besides  this,  the  character  of  Christ  in  the 
narrative  is  only  such  as  God  himself  could  con- 
ceive. It  stands  in  majestic  solitude  in  the  litera- 
ture of  the  world.     In  all  the  conceptions  of  all 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  OF  LAZARUS.      1 79 

the  nations  in  all  the  ages,  which  relate  to  man's 
idea  of  God,  there  is  nothing  like  this,  this  picture 
of  God  in  Christ.  In  the  narrative  we  see  our 
God  crushing  for  man  the  terror  of  his  existence, 
grim  Death ;  and  in  it  we  see  our  God  giving  man 
the  greatest  conceivable  blessings,  victory  over 
the  grave  and  eternal  life  beyond  the  grave,  to  be 
filled  up  with  eternal  progress  and  with  eternal 
communion  with  God. 

The  far-famed  Spinoza,  the  great  pantheistic 
philosopher,  said  to  his  friends,  **  If  I  could  accept 
of  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus,  I  would  dash  to 
pieces  my  entire  system  and  embrace  without  re- 
luctance the  faith  of  the  Christians."  We  do  not 
wonder  at  such  an  estimation  of  this  miracle  by  a 
thinker  of  Spinoza's  power.  But  Spinoza,  who 
brought  his  great  mind  to  the  study  of  the  mira- 
cle, gave  us  no  good  reason  for  the  rejection  of  it, 
and  so  we  conclude  that  there  is  no  good  reason 
for  its  rejection.  If  there  had  been  a  valid  objec- 
tion within  the  reach  of  man,  an  objection  which 
could  stand  the  searching  of  honest  criticism,  Spi- 
noza would  have  reached  i-t,  and  would  have  made 
the  Christian  world  confront  it.  But  he  did  not. 
Therefore  we  hold  to  the  fact,  so  full  of  revelation 
and  revolution,  so  full  of  destruction  to  skepticism 
and  edification  to  faith,  that  Jesus  Christ  has  a 
power  which  can  empty  the  sepulchre  and  thrill 
the  dead. 

The  miracle  is  the  climax  of  Christ's  ministry. 
It  is  the  climax  of  the  long  series  of  miracles 
which   John   records  to  establish  the  truth   that 


l80  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

Jesus  is  the  Christ.  It  is  the  climax  of  the  resur- 
rections wrought  by  Christ.  It  is  greater  than 
the  resurrection  of  Jairus'  daughter  or  the  res- 
urrection of  the  widow's  son  at  the  gate  of  Nain. 
Death  had  a  longer  grip  on  Lazarus.  Death  had 
frozen  his  frame  into  icy  coldness  and  given  it  a 
marble  stiffness.  Lazarus  was  deeper  in  the 
depths  of  mortality.  Corruption  and  the  worm 
had  begun  their  ravages.  Besides  this  there  was 
a  higher  manifestation  of  power  upon  the  part  of 
Christ  in  working  this  miracle.  He  took  the 
daughter  of  Jairus  by  the  hand,  he  touched  the 
bier  whereon  the  dead  son  of  the  widow  lay ;  in 
the  resurrection  of  Lazarus  he  simply  spake  the 
word  of  life.  He  manifested  that  all  that  is  requi- 
site for  raising  the  dead  is  his  mere  volition.  Vo- 
litions dart  from  him  as  sunbeams  dart  from  the 
sun,  and  they  carry  in  them  life  and  divine 
power. 

The  miracle  gives  us  the  climax  of  the  revela- 
tions of  Jesus  Christ.  All  of  the  miracles  and  ad- 
dresses recorded  in  this  Gospel  are  intended  to 
set  forth  some  characteristic  or  function  of  Christ. 
This  miracle  gives  us  the  grandest  exhibit  of  all. 
It  gives  us  the  fullest  evidence  of  Christ's  divinity, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  fullest  evidence  of 
Christ's  humanity.  He  raises  the  dead — that  is 
divinity ;  he  weeps — that  is  intense  humanity.  It 
sets  forth  the  grandest  work  which  he  does  for 
man:  he  delivers  him  from  the  power  of  death 
and  inducts  him  into  a  glorious  immortality.  A 
glorious  immortality  !     Nothing  is  beyond  this  in 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  OF  LAZARUS.      l8l 

the  experience  of  man.     It  is  impossible  even  to 
conceive  anything  higher. 

As  this  miracle  gives  us  the  highest,  the  cli- 
macteric revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  may  con- 
clude that  Christ  is  near  the  great  end  of  his 
tragic  career.  He  is.  Why  should  he  remain 
longer  on  earth  when  he  has  made  his  complete 
revelation?  Because  his  work  of  revelation  was 
about  finished,  God  allowed  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
to  call  out  the  utmost  wrath  of  his  foes.  This 
wonderful  deed  made  them  feel  that  a  crisis  had 
been  reached.  Either  they  must  overturn  Christ 
or  Christ  will  overturn  them.  They  at  once  de- 
termined that  he  should  die,  and  from  that  mo- 
ment they  gave  themselves  no  rest  until  they  saw 
him  nailed  as  a  malefactor  to  the  cross  upon  Cal- 
vary. There  are  only  three  months  from  this 
point  in  the  history  of  Jesus  unto  the  cry,  "  It  is 
finished!" 

But  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  central  point 
of  this  whole  history.  The  conversation  of  Christ 
sets  it  forth.  It  is  the  great  fact  to  which  we 
have  already  referred,  and  which  Christ  empha- 
sizes for  the  comfort  of  these  mourners,  and  for 
bereaved  Christians  unto  the  end  of  time.  It  is 
this:  To  all  who  believe  in  Christ  he  is  the 
resurrection  and  the  life.  If  faith  had  been  able 
to  grasp  this  fact  without  this  miracle,  this  mira- 
cle would  never  have  been  wrought.  Christ  raised 
the  dead  Lazarus,  and  turned  back  the  corruption 
which  had  begun  its  work  on  his  entombed  body, 
in  order  to  make  this  fact  palpable  and  place  it 


1 82  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

within  the  vision  of  man.  Everything  else  re- 
corded here  is  secondary  to  the  exhibition  of  this 
glorious  fact.  Everything  else  is  only  intended 
to  be  as  drapery  adorning  it  and  giving  it  vivid- 
ness. 

THE   HISTORICAL    FACTS   IN   THE   SCRIPTURE. 

I.  There  was  a  Christ-loved  and  a  Christ-loving 
family  sorely  bereaved. 

The  story  of  this  family  is  put  upon  record  to 
beget  like  families.  It  shows  us  the  possibilities 
of  our  homes.  They  may  become  the  abiding- 
places  of  Jesus,  and  in  this  way  they  may  become 
distinguished.  Jesus  made  this  home  of  Bethany 
his  abiding-place,  and  this  distinguished  it  and 
gave  it  mention  in  his  immortal  history.  Of  what 
other  home  in  Bethany  do  we  know  anything? 
Christ  distinguishes  all  who  are  connected  with 
him,  and  gives  every  home  a  reputation  which 
opens  its  door  to  him.  We  should  consider  that 
every  home  has  its  character.  It  is  the  abode  of 
something.  If  it  will  not  admit  religion  and  en- 
tertain it,  then  fashion  and  irreligion  and  pleasure 
and  carnality  will  make  their  abode  in  it,  and  will 
mould  and  determine  its  reputation  and  destiny. 
We  do  not  realize  as  we  ought  the  personality  of 
our  families  and  the  duties  we  owe  that  personal- 
ity. There  are  family  duties,  and  these  are  as  bind- 
ing as  personal  duties.  There  are  the  family  name 
and  the  family  altar  and  the  family  pew,  and  all 
these  must  be  treated  in  such  a  way  as  to  honor 
Christ  and  recommend  his  religion.     Each  mem- 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  OF  LAZARUS.     1 83 

ber  of  the  family  should  be  individually  faithful 
to  these. 

But  it  is  asked,  "  What  is  the  gain  of  religion  ? 
Religion  will  not  protect  the  home  from  sickness 
and  death.  Here  is  a  family  loving  Christ  and 
loved  by  Christ,  and  yet  it  is  smitten  with  sick- 
ness and  visited  by  death."  Yes,  that  is  true.  The 
stay  of  the  house  is  stricken  down.  Disease  runs 
its  course.  Jesus  is  sent  for,  but  the  messenger 
scarcely  reaches  him  before  Lazarus  dies.  The 
death-hush  reigns  in  the  home.  There  is  a  fu- 
neral and  there  is  a  burial.  All  this  happens  to 
every  home,  whether  it  be  religious  or  irreligious. 
All  this  is  admitted,  and  still  we  claim  that  re- 
ligion is  a  blessed  thing  for  the  family. 

It  gives  privileges  and  comforts  in  the  scenes 
of  death  of  which  an  irreligious  family  know 
nothing.  It  gives  peaceful  resignation  and  trust 
where  otherwise  there  would  be  heart-rebellion 
and  despair.  It  enables  the  family  to  feel  that 
they  are  in  the  hand  of  infinite  love,  and  not  in 
the  crushing  iron  grip  of  unfeeling  fate.  It  gives 
them  access  to  the  supporting  sympathy  of  God, 
who  is  over  all.  A  funeral  without  the  sympathy 
of  God  is  the  blackest  of  all  black  things  and  the 
horror  of  all  horrors.  You  can  see  the  privilege 
of  religion  in  the  home  in  the  hour  of  sorrow  as 
you  read  this  page.  It  is  this  :  These  sisters  can 
put  their  case  before  Christ.  They  can  send  him 
a  message,  "  Lord,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick." 
They  can  make  Christ  a  companion  of  their  trial, 
and  leave  the  case  in  his  strong  hands  and  with 


l84  STUDIES  IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

his  unerring  wisdom.  This  is  the  privilege  of  a 
Christ-loved  and  a  Christ-loving  family.  When 
one  of  its  members  is  stricken  down  in  sickness, 
the  other  members  can  kneel  in  prayer  and  say, 
"  Lord,  he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick,"  and  leave 
the  case  with  the  love  of  God.  There  is  a  world 
of  comfort  in  being  able  to  speak  of  our  friends  as 
God's  loved  ones,  and  in  being  able  to  appeal  to 
his  love  on  their  behalf. 

2.    The  purpose  of  this  trial  is  explained. 

Such  a  trial  demands  explanation.  We  must 
know  the  philosophy  of  it.  This  Christ  recognizes. 
Hence  he  gives  the  philosophy  of  it.  He  says  the 
trial  is  intended  for  the  glory  of  God.  When  the 
messenger  from  Bethany  reached  him  and  told 
him  of  the  sickness  of  Lazarus,  he  said,  "This 
sickness  will  not  bring  Lazarus  into  the  unbroken 
grasp  of  death ;  it  is  intended  to  advance  the  glory 
of  God  and  to  glorify  me  by  establishing  my  di- 
vine Sonship."  It  gave  Christ  an  opportunity  of 
making  a  public  appeal  to  the  Father  to  bear  him 
testimony,  and  it  gave  him  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
ercising  his  divine  power  in  raising  Lazarus  from 
the  tomb.  It  is  a  great  comfort  to  the  child  of 
God,  when  under  the  hard  discipline  of  trial,  to 
know  that  it  has  for  its  object  the  glory  of  God. 
Can  infidelity  give  us  a  philosophy  as  comforting  ? 
Can  it  teach  us  how  to  read  -  the  providences  ? 
Does  it  declare  that  the  interplay  of  influence  and 
of  events  has  as  an  outcome  the  glory  of  God  ? 
Yet  such  is  the  fact.  Since  as  the  people  of  God 
we  seek  above  all  things  the  glory  of  God,  it  satis- 


DEATH   AND   RESURRECTION   OF   LAZARUS.     1 8$ 

fies  US  to  know  that  the  ultimatum  of  all  happen- 
ings is  God's  glory.  Why  is  this?  Because  we 
are  assured  that  the  glory  of  God  is  connected  with 
the  good  of  his  people.  Whatever  exalts  him 
exalts  us.  We  are  glorified  with  God.  For  exam- 
ple, God  is  glorified  through  the  upbuilding  of  the 
church  and  through  its  purification :  but  what 
does  the  upbuilding  and  purification  of  the  church 
mean  to  the  church  ?  It  means  that  it  shall  be 
before  God  perfect  in  beauty,  without  spot  or 
wrinkle  or  any  such  thing. 

It  may  be  impossible  for  us  to  see  how  our  buf- 
fetings  and  pains  and  griefs  and  resolutions  and 
persecutions  may  be  made  to  exhibit  the  glory  of 
God ;  we  may  not  be  able  to  understand  the  pro- 
cess, but  the  process  goes  on  and  v/e  see  the  result. 
This  is  enough.  The  world  has  been  full  of  just 
such  things,  and  yet  the  glory  of  God  has  been 
maintained  and  has  been  uppermost  in  human 
history.  It  was  so  in  the  perplexing  experience  of 
this  home  of  Bethany.  Our  understanding  of  a 
process  is  not  necessary  to  its  operation  or  to  the 
production  of  glorious  results.  It  is  a  strange 
thing  to  see  a  beautiful  flower  rise  out  of  the  mire- 
heap.  We  do  not  understand  v/hy  it  should  and 
how  it  can :  but  it  does.  It  seems  impossible  that 
the  white  water-lily  should  draw  its  purity  and 
beauty  from  the  rubbish  in  the  bottom  of  the  lake ; 
but  notwithstanding  the  apparent  impossibility, 
water-lilies  float  on  the  surface  of  thousands  of 
lakes  like  little  fleets  of  ivory  and  pearl.  The  fact 
that  God's    glory  is    the   controlling    purpose   of 


1 86  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

every  adverse  providence  ought  to  bring  patience, 
hope,  and  courage  into  our  lives. 

3.    The  needed  comfort  hi  be^'cavement  is  given. 

Jesus  comes  to  the  bereaved  home.  He  does 
not  come  at  once  :  he  delays  two  days,  until  he 
finishes  his  work  in  Persea.  By  this  he  shows  that 
the  calls  of  friendship  should  be  held  subordinate 
to  public  duty.  Does  this  delay  look  as  though  his 
love  for  the  home  at  Bethany  had  met  with  a 
chill?  To  prevent  such  a  surmise,  and  to  teach 
that  delay  upon  the  part  of  God  does  not  indicate 
a  lack  of  love,  the  pen  which  records  the  delay  of 
Jesus  immediately  adds,  "  Now  Jesus  loved  Mar- 
tha and  her  sister  and  Lazarus."  Delay  has  its 
mission.  It  disciplines  the  love  of  this  home.  It 
puts  it  to  a  test  which  develops  it.  It  gives  time 
for  the  death  of  Lazarus  to  become  w^idely  known. 
It  gives  death  greater  power  over  the  entombed 
man,  and  thus  makes  the  miracle  of  raising  him 
the  more  wonderful  and  the  m^ore  declarative  of 
Christ's  divine  power.  The  product  of  this  delay 
makes  it  clear  that  in  God's  dealings  with  his  ovv^n 
people  there  are  no  cold,  heartless  arrangements. 
All  his  arrangements  are  love  arrangements. 

When  Jesus  reached  Bethany  he  was  met  in  a 
way  which  brought  out  the  individuality  of  the 
members  of  the  home.  Martha,  the  practical  wo- 
man, the  executive  head  of  the  family,  the  older 
sister  in  v/hom  was  vested  the  authority,  was  the 
first  to  hear  of  his  coming  and  the  first  to  meet 
him.  The  messenger  who  brought  the  word  of 
course  went  to  her.     Mary,  like  her  true  self,  was 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  OF  LAZARUS.  1 8/ 

alone.  She  had  given  herself  up  to  contemplation. 
She  had  to  be  sought  and  told  that  the  Master  had 
come  and  had  called  for  her. 

But  we  are  especially  interested  in  the  words  of 
comfort  which  Christ  addressed  to  these  mourners. 
They  are  words  for  all  time,  and  are  instructive  as 
to  how  we  should  deal  with  mourners.  He  does 
not  say  much,  but  what  he  does  say  is  sufficient. 
Do  we  realize  just  how  little  he  did  say  ?  These 
were  his  words :  ''  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again  ;  I 
am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  ;  he  that  believeth 
in  me,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  :  and 
whosoever  believeth  in  me  shall  never  die.  Be- 
lievest  thou  this  ?"  That  was  all  that  Jesus  said. 
Now  that  we  have  the  words  of  Jesus  we  ask  the 
question.  What  did  he  do  to  comfort  these  m^ourn- 
ers  ?  He  set  before  them  the  privilege  of  being  in 
true  and  living  relation  with  him.  He  set  before 
them  the  way  in  which  a  Christian  united  to  him 
by  faith  should  think  of  death.  The  true  view  of 
death  is  victory  over  death.  This  chapter  is  pre- 
cious for  this  very  thing :  it  teaches  Christians  how 
to  think  of  death.  It  calls  death  ''  night ;"  now 
we  associate  night  with  the  sunburst  of  the  morn- 
ing. It  calls  death  *'  sleep  ;"  we  associate  sleep 
with  an  awakening  to  fresh  life  and  strength. 
Christ  has  conquered  death  for  us,  so  that  death  is 
ours  now.  It  is  put  among  the  Christian's  posses- 
sions. It  is  written,  ''All  things  are  yours,"  and 
death  is  enumerated  among  the  all  things.  Ac- 
cording to  the  twenty-third  Psalm,  we  do  not  meet 
death   itself;  we  only  meet  with  the   shadow  of 


I88  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

death.  Death  is  changed  into  a  sleep,  and  only  a 
part  of  us  sleeps,  the  body.  The  eternal  life,  which 
is  the  true  life,  which  we  receive  by  faith  in  Christ 
and  which  is  within  us,  never  changes.  The  cove- 
nant between  us  and  Christ  never  breaks.  Death 
hath  no  power  over  it.  When  are  these  things  a 
reality  to  the  believer  ?  Martha  said,  "Away  on  in 
the  last  day."  Jesus  said,  "  Now.  Death  is  noth- 
ing to  cause  despair  upon  the  part  of  those  who 
are  mine  and  who  have  the  blessings  which  I  give 
them.  Their  soul  continues  in  living  communion 
with  me  and  their  body  sleeps  in  my  hand ;  I  can 
awaken  it  at  any  moment."  To  make  his  declara- 
tion plain  to  faith,  and  to  prove  its  truth,  he  awa- 
kened Lazarus. 

The  after-writers  of  the  Word  take  their  key- 
note from  these  words  of  Christ.  Not  a  gloomy 
thing  is  said  about  the  death  of  a  Christian,  nor  is 
one  gloomy  thought  encouraged.  I  want  to  em- 
phasize this.  On  the  contrary,  the  brightest  and 
most  glorious  things  are  spoken  in  relation  to  it.  It 
is  said  to  be  a  "  going  to  Christ,"  which  is  better 
than  anything  here  on  earth.  It  is  called  "  sleep  in 
Jesus."  It  is  called  "  blessedness :"  "  Blessed  are  the 
dead  which  die  in  the  Lord."  It  is  put  among  the 
Christian's  possessions.  It  is  coupled  with  a  song 
which  celebrates  the  believer's  present  victory: 
"  O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is 
thy  victory  ?  Thanks  be  unto  God  who  giveth  us 
the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The 
Christian  Church  needs  a  great  growth  in  faith 
upon  this  subject.     It  needs  enlightenment  con- 


DEATH   AND    RESURRECTION   OF   LAZARUS.     1S9 

ceming  death  as  an  event  in  the  experience  of  the 
friends  of  Christ. 

4.  The  establishment  of  the  Christian's  ground  of 
comfort  by  a  ivondrous  miracle. 

Jesus  said, ''  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life," 
and  he  proved  it  by  giving  resurrection  and  life  to 
Lazarus.  For  the  cultivation  of  the  faith  of  his 
people,  he  embodied  his  saying  in  an  actual  event. 
He  proved  that  Lazarus,  whom  he  called  his  friend, 
still  lived  by  bringing  back  his  soul  from  the 
world  in  which  it  was  living  and  by  awakening 
his  body  out  of  sleep. 

I  am  not  going  to  try  and  picture  the  scene  of 
this  resurrection.  We  require  no  further  picture 
than  that  given  us  here,  which  sets  two  things  into 
prominence,  viz..  The  weeping  of  Jesus,  and  his 
life-giving  call  which  he  sent  into  the  tomb. 

It  may  be  asked.  Why  did  Jesus  weep  ?  Did  he 
weep  because  of  the  death  of  Lazarus,  his  friend  ? 
It  is  not  asserted  in  this  chapter  that  he  did.  With 
his  exposition  of  the  death  of  his  friend  before  us, 
there  is  no  ground  for  such  a  supposition.  It  is 
said  distinctly  here  that  he  wept  because  of  v/hat 
he  sav/.  "  When  therefore  Jesus  saw  her  weeping, 
and  the  Jews  also  weeping  which  came  v/ith  her, 
he  groaned  in  the  spirit  and  was  troubled,  and 
said,  Where  have  ye  laid  him  ?  They  said  unto 
him.  Lord,  come  and  see.  Jesus  wept."  What  he 
saw  caused  his  weeping.  He  saw  mourners  broken 
down  with  weeping  and  with  paroxysms  of  weep- 
ing, and  his  sympathies  were  moved  and  he  wept 
through  sympathy.     But  is  this  the  whole  explana- 


IQO  STUDIES    IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

tion  of  his  tears  ?  I  think  not.  It  does  not  cover 
the  words,  ''  He  groaned  in  spirit  and  was  trou- 
bled." These  words  are  translated  by  the  highest 
authorities,  ''  He  was  moved  with  indignation  in 
the  spirit."  Loyalty  to  the  Greek  will  admit  of  no 
other  translation.  He  saw  something  more  than 
sorrow ;  he  saw  that  the  pungency  of  the  sorrow 
of  these  mourners  came  from  defective  views  of 
death  as  related  to  his  followers.  It  came  from 
this  unbelief  v/ith  respect  to  him.  Even  Martha, 
to  whom  he  had  just  expounded  the  true  view  of 
the  death  of  those  who  believe  in  him,  did  not  ac- 
cept and  rest  in  him  as  he  had  announced  himself, 
viz.,  as  "  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  She  tried 
to  keep  the  grave  from  being  opened  when  he 
sought  to  prove  the  truth  of  what  he  said.  If 
there  was  one  place  on  this  earth  where  Jesus 
ought  to  have  been  fully  understood  and  apprecia- 
ted, it  was  in  the  home  of  Bethany.  When  he  saw 
these  bitter  tears,  he  saw  in  them  the  evidence 
that  he  was  misunderstood  even  in  the  home 
where  he  was  best  understood.  When  he  saw  this, 
he  wept  through  pity  and  disappointment  as  well 
as  through  sympathy.  In  this  weeping  there  were 
some  of  the  elements  which  were  in  his  tears  over 
Jerusalem.  Unbelief  had  something  to  do  with 
these  tears.  Christ  is  grieved  when  we  give  way 
to  and  are  swayed  by  wrong  ideas  of  death  in  its 
relation  to  his  people.  Wrong  ideas  in  this  matter 
dishonor  him  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life 
and  who  gives  his  people  deliverance  from  death. 
After  the  weeping  had  passed,  Jesus  required 


DEATH   AND    RESURRECTION    OF   LAZARUS.     I9I 

the  stone  to  be  rolled  away  from  the  door  of  the 
cave-sepulchre.  When  this  was  done,  for  the  sake 
of  those  present  who  denied  his  commission  from 
heaven,  he  looked  np  to  heaven  and  identified 
himself  with  the  Father  and  made  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  man  a  test  of  his  claim  for  iden- 
tity. Then  he  threw  his  voice  into  the  tomb  and 
with  great  power  gave  the  command,  "  Lazarus, 
come  forth !"  The  voice  prevailed.  The  dead 
heard  it,  and  to  the  amazement  of  all  Lazarus 
stepped  forth  alive  and  in  his  grave-clothes.  Noth- 
ing is  told  us  of  the  joyous  rapture  of  that  home 
which  received  back  its  dead,  but  there  was  rap- 
ture there.  We  know  there  was  rapture  there,  be- 
cause there  is  rapture  in  our  hearts  to-day  as  we 
read  this  testimony  of  God  to  his  Son  and  this 
proof  of  our  deliverance  from  death  through  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ. 

A   CLOSING   POINT.    ' 

T/te  history  of  the  miracle  reveals  that  a  glorious 
hnmortality  is  connected  with  and  founded  npon 
friendship  with  God. 

Lazarus  was  a  friend  of  Jesus.  It  was  to  the 
home  of  friendship  that  Jesus  went.  It  was  a 
friend  whom  he  raised.  It  is  a  significant  fact 
that  the  changes  are  rung  upon  the  friendship  be- 
tween Jesus  and  the  family  of  Bethany.  After 
Lazarus  had  died,  Jesus  called  him  ''friend." 

What  is  the  strongest  argument  in  favor  of  our 
immortality  ?  It  is  this :  God's  friendship  for  us. 
It  is  not  the  symbolism  of  nature,  as  some  claim. 


192  STUDIES    IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

It  is  not  the  yellow  wheat-stalk,  with  its  rich  and 
bending  head  of  sixty-fold,  which  rises  from  the 
grave  of  the  one  grain.  It  is  not  the  flower 
springing  from  the  grave  of  the  black  seed  and 
putting  on  its  golden  garments.  It  is  not  the  but- 
terfly rising  from  its  worm-life  and  sporting  in  its 
beauty  in  the  crystal  dome  of  light.  These  sym- 
bolisms of  nature  get  all  their  significance  from 
the  establishment  of  man's  resurrection  and  im- 
mortality. All  the  thoughts  which  they  suggest 
are  after-thoughts  and  not  fore-thoughts.  Let 
resurrection  and  immortality  be  believed  and  then 
they  are  full  of  meaning  and  comfort,  but  not 
until  then.  No,  the  strongest  argument  for  our 
immortality  is  our  friendship  with  God  ;  or,  if  you 
will,  God's  friendship  for  us.  God  carries  the  im- 
mortality of  man  in  his  own  nature.  It  is  thus 
that  we  reason.  God's  friendships  must  be  like 
God.  They  must  accord  with  his  nature  and  sat- 
isfy his  nature,  God  is  eternal ;  the  friendships 
which  he  forms,  therefore,  in  order  to  accord  with 
his  nature  and  satisfy  his  nature,  must  be  as 
eternal.  Now  there  can  be  no  eternal  friendship 
except  the  parties  forming  it  be  eternal.  If  as 
parties  in  God's  friendships  we  are  to  be  eternal, 
we  must  be  immortal.  A  glorious  immortality  is 
based  upon  divine  friendship.  It  is  he  who  be- 
lieves in  Christ  who  has  a  glorious  immortality. 
The  promise  is  to  faith,  and  to  faith  only.  Have 
we  faith?  That  is  the  determining  question. 
That  is  the  vital  problem  with  us  all.  Let  us 
settle  it  at  once. 


CHRIST  AND   THE   SEEKING   GREEKS.  1 93 


CHRIST  AND.  THE  SEEKING  GREEKS. 

"And  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  them  that  came 
up  to  v/orship  at  the  feast;  the  same  came  therefore 
TO  Philip,  which  was  of  Bethsaida  of  Galilee,  and  de- 
sired HIM,  saying,  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus."— /<5^«  12:20,  21. 

We  wish  to  magnify  the  event  recorded  by 
this  Scripture.  We  wish  to  place  the  coming  of 
these  Greeks  among  the  notable  things  in  the 
story  of  Christ.  See  how  it  stirred  him !  Mark 
the  wonderful  words  it  called  forth  !  Behold  the 
marvellous  and  startling  phenomenon  which  at- 
tended it,  and  listen  to  the  voice  of  God  which 
spake  through  the  great  vault  of  heaven  in  tones 
of  thunder !  The  evangelist  John  knew  the  value 
and  importance  of  this  event,  with  its  accompany- 
ing w^onder,  so  he  wheeled  it  into  line  with  the 
arguments  and  proofs  of  the  deity  of  Christ.  His 
Gospel  was  written  to  establish  the  deity  of  Christ, 
and  he  could  not  leave  out  such  a  Scripture  as 
this.  This  Scripture  is  crowded  with  testimony 
such  as  John  wishes.  In  it  the  Gentile  Greeks, 
far  famed  for  their  culture  and  their  research, 
bear  testimony  to  Christ.  In  it  Christ's  own  no- 
bility of  spirit  bears  testimony  to  himself.  Iii  it 
Christ  utters  a  prediction  concerning  his  death 
and  its  effects,  the  fulfilment  of  which  was  de- 
signed to  be  an  evidence  of  his  divinity.  In  it  is 
the  testimony  of  the  Father,  who  spake  from  the 
throne  of  heaven  and  owned  his  Son. 

studies  In    John'8   Gospel.  Q 


194  STUDIES    IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  should  classify  the 
coming  of  the  Greeks  and  its  sequences  with 
such  incidents  as  the  flashing  of  the  Shechinah 
light  at  midnight  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem,  and 
the  singing  of  the  natal  song  by  the  angel  choir, 
and  the  wonder  at  Christ's  baptism,  and  the  glory 
scene  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration.  What  could 
be  more  wonderful  than  Jesus  talking  up  into  the 
sky  to  God  upon  his  throne,  and  immediately  re- 
ceiving an  answer  back  from  God  in  an  audible 
voice?  At  the  beginning  of  his  public  career 
God  in  an  audible  voice  introduced  Jesus  as  his 
Son,  and  commanded  men  to  hear  him  and  bow  to 
his  authority ;  now  at  the  close  of  his  public  career, 
for  there  were  only  two  days  between  him  and 
Calvary,  the  same  God  speaks  from  heaven  and 
puts  the  stamp  of  divine  approval  upon  all  that 
Jesus  has  done  and  said.  He  says  that  the  career 
of  Christ  has  been  such  as  to  glorify  Him.  At  the 
beginning  of  Christ's  life  Magi  from  the  East 
came  to  him  and  paid  him  homage ;  now  at  the 
close  of  his  life,  on  the  very  eve  of  his  great 
agony,  Greeks  from  the  West  come  to  pay  him 
homage.  East  and  west  his  life  strikes  out  full 
of  beneficent  purposes.  The  presence  of  these 
Greeks  moved  the  soul  of  Jesus.  They  were  an 
earnest  of  the  glorious  incoming  of  the  Gentile, 
world  into  his  kingdom  and  a  prophecy  of  the 
mighty  results  of  his  death.  These  Greeks,  sent 
by  the  Heavenly  Father,  by  their  coming  cheered 
him  on  to  the  cross.  They  made  the  way  to  the 
cross  easier.     His  own  words,  called  out  by  their 


CHRIST   AND    THE    SEEKING   CREEKS.  I95 

coming,  show  this.  In  his  address  to  them  he 
deals  with  Calvary  and  the  outcome  of  Calvary. 
Their  coming  pleased  him,  for  he  granted  their 
request  and  revealed  himself  unto  them. 

Who  these  Greeks  were  we  are  not  told. 
Doubtless  they  were  proselytes  to  the  Jewish 
religion  and  were  advanced  thinkers.  To  them 
Jehovah  was  a  truer  ideal  of  God  than  were  all 
the  gods  known  to  the  Greek  mind.  He  satisfied 
them.  Their  souls  could  feed  upon  him.  We 
judge  these  Greeks  by  the  way  in  which  Christ 
treated  them  and  by  the  estimate  which  he  put 
upon  them.  They  stand  before  the  Christian 
world  as  magnificent  types  of  honest  inquirers  after 
truth  and  as  men  loyal  to  their  privileges.  Theirs 
experience  magnifies  this  fact,  viz..  All  who  hon- 
estly seek  Christ  find  him,  and  Christ  rewards/ 
them  with  the  fullest  revelations  of  himself. 

The  design  of  this  Scripture  is  to  tell  us  what 
these  Greeks  saw  in  Christ,  and  thus  to  teach  us 
what  we  should  see  in  him.  Let  us  some  to  this 
Scripture  with  the  cry,  "We  would  see  Jesus."  If 
we  send  this  cry  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  will  take 
the  things  of  Christ  herein  set  forth  and  will 
show  them  to  us. 

WHAT  THE  INQUIRING  GREEKS  SAV/.     SEEING  CHRIST 
CONSISTS  IN  SEEING  WHAT  THEY  SAW. 

I.  The  seeking  Greeks  saw  the  divine  object  of 
Christ's  mission,  ivhich  was  the  controlling  purpose 
of  his  life. 

We  never  see  one  truly  and  thoroughly  until 


196  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

we  see  his  aim  and  object  in  life.  We  must  look 
upon  his  controlling  purpose.  These  Greeks 
wanted  to  see  Christ,  so  the  first  thing-  that  Christ 
showed  them  was  his  controlling  purpose  of  life, 
the  grand  object  of  his  mission.  He  let  them  into 
the  inner  circle  of  his  being.  He  let  them  see  the 
action  of  his  soul.  His  whole  being  was  bound  up 
in  one  purpose,  viz.,  the  advancement  of  the  glory 
of  God,  and  this  was  what  the  Greeks  saw. 

The  controlling  purpose  of  Christ  was  set  forth 
in  connection  with  a  great  wonder.  God  publicly 
owned  him  and  accepted  of  his  work.  This  God 
did  in  answer  to  the  cry  which  Jesus  sent  to 
heaven,  that  the  Father  would  glorify  his  own 
name.  Jesus  sought  the  Father's  glory,  and  by 
so  doing  he  reached  glory  himself.  Thus  it  al- 
ways is ;  the  men  who  seek  God's  glory  assuredly 
attain  their  own  glory.  God  answered  Christ 
from  his  throne,  and  men  heard  the  voice  of  God. 
That  answer  was  enough  to  manifest  the  relation 
between  Christ  and  the  Father,  and  to  show  that 
Christ  was  doing  a  premeditated  and  divinely 
arranged  work.  That  answer  was  enough  to 
teach  that  the  glory  of  God  stands  in  the  fore- 
front of  all  the  purposes  and  providences  of  the 
universe,  and  that  it  is  first  with  God  and  ought 
to  be  first  with  all  others. 

If  the  men  of  Christ's  day  could  have  entered 
into  the  reality  of  this  wonder,  if  they  could  have 
rightly  heard  God's  voice  sounding  through  the 
skies  in  attestation  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  would 
have  had  no  difficulty  in  knowing  who  he  was  or 


CHRIST  AND  THE  SEEKING  GREEKS.  I97 

in  recognizing  the  glory  of  his  mission.  But  the 
men  of  Christ's  day  did  neither  apprehend  nor 
comprehend  the  wonder.  To  some  God's  voice 
was  only  thunder  in  a  cloudless  sky.  To  others  it 
was  only  the  voice  of  an  angel.  This  was  the 
highest  view  taken  of  it,  but  it  was  infinitely 
below  the  glorious  fact.  By  these  low  views  of 
God's  great  wonder  men  lost  the  true  conception 
of  the  Son  of  God  and  of  his  great  saving  work. 
Are  we  not  like  these  men  who  said,  *'It  thun- 
ders !"  ''It  is  the  voice  of  an  angel !"  instead  of 
saying,  "The  Father  owns  his  Son  "?  Are  we  not 
for  ever  lowering  the  things  of  God,  and  thus 
dooming  ourselves  to  half  knowledge  and  half 
faith  and  half  love  ?  We  limit  ourselves  when  we 
limit  the  things  of  God,  when  we  see  less  in 
Christ  Jesus  than  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  when  we  see 
less  in  the  Bible  than  is  in  the  Bible,  when  we  see 
less  in  the  arguments  establishing  Christianity 
than  is  in  these  arguments.  Our  spiritual  growth 
and  our  confirmation  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  require 
us  to  magnify  and  not  to  minimize  the  things  of 
God.  Let  us  not  rationalize  and  explain  away  the 
miracles  of  God.  Let  us  not  modify  or  contract 
the  grand  fact  of  the  deity  of  Christ.  Let  us  not 
dwarf  the  glorious  promises  of  the  Covenant,  but 
let  us  give  every  word  its  full  meaning.  Let  us 
not  slur  a  single  attribute  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  let 
us  set  forth  every  attribute  in  marked  and  honest 
prominence.  This  will  give  us  a  clear  and  correct  > 
vision  of  Christ  and  make  us  magnificent  Chris- 
tian men  and  women.     The  men  who  confound 


198  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  -uncreated  God  with  a  created  angel  never 
truly  knew  God.  Their  conceptions  of  God  and 
Christ  are  away  below  what  God  and  Christ 
are. 

That  we  may  see  the  place  which  the  glory  of 
God  had  in  the  life  and  purpose  of  Jesus  Christ, 
let  us  examine  the  words  which  God  spoke  to 
him  from  the  throne.  When  Christ  declared  that 
he  could  bear  anything  and  meet  anything  if  only 
God  were  glorified,  when  he  cried  to  heaven, 
''Father,  glorify  thy  name,"  God's  words  to  him 
were,  "  I  have  both  glorified  it  and  will  glorify  it 
again."  These  words  of  the  Father  are  both 
retrospective  and  prospective.  They  declare  that 
up  to  this  point  Christ  had  glorified  God;  they 
declare  that  from  this  point  on  Christ  will  glorify 
the  Father. 

Do  we  not  see  how  the  past  life  of  Jesus  glori- 
fied God  ?  God  glorified  his  name,  through  Christ, 
by  sending  Christ  into  the  world.  The  gift  of  his 
Son  exhibited  the  grandeur  of  his  love.  It  opened 
to  the  world  his  magnificent  purposes  and  his 
great  thoughts.  God  was  glorified  in  the  sinless 
and  perfect  life  which  Jesus  lived.  The  golden 
words  which  fell  with  thrilling  power  from  the 
lips  of  Jesus,  and  which  set  forth  God's  thoughts 
before  men,  glorified  the  Father.  So  did  his  won- 
derful deeds  of  power  and  love.  His  life  was  de- 
signed to  be  a  revelation  of  God,  and  it  was.  It  is 
the  fullest  and  clearest  and  most  perfect  revela- 
tion of  God  which  the  world  has.  What  grand 
conceptions  of  God  does  it  give  us !     When  we 


CHRIST  AND   THE   SEEKING   GREEKS.  199 

want  to  see  the  Father  we  look  at  him  through 
the  life  of  the  Son. 

If  there  be  one  fact  more  clearly  taught  than 
another  in  the  Bible,  it  is  this :  The  glory  of  God 
is  seen  in  Christ.  Let  me  choose  one  point  by 
way  of  illustration.  Christ  glorified  God  in  his 
life  by  vindicating  his  character  in  the  presence 
of  the  existence  of  sin.  Dark  words  were  spoken 
against  the  character  of  God  because  of  the  exist- 
ence of  sin  in  the  human  race.  Insinuating  ques- 
tions were  asked,  questions  such  ?as  these :  Why 
did  not  God  create  man  with  the  power  of  resist- 
ing sin  ?  Why  did  he  place  him  where  he  would 
be  conquered  by  evil  ?  Where  is  the  infallibility 
and  power  and  wisdom  and  love  of  God,  in  view 
of  the  fall  of  man  ?  These  questions  were  calcu- 
lated to  leave  a  blot  on  the  character  of  the 
Creator.  Christ  vindicated  God.  He  came  into 
the  world  and  lived  in  the  very  same  nature 
which  fell  in  Eden.  In  that  nature  he  met  sin 
and  temptation.  He  met  these  in  their  worst 
forms  and  in  their  highest  degrees.  Adam's  trial 
in  Paradise  was  mere  play  in  comparison  with  the 
trial  of  Jesus  in  the  wilderness.  But  in  that  na- 
ture which  fell  in  Eden  he  triumphed  in  the  wil- 
derness. He  thus  demonstrated  what  Adam 
might  have  done.  He  vindicated  God  by  showing 
that  sin  was  no  necessity  of  our  nature  and,  no 
necessity  of  our  circumstances.  His  conflict  with 
Satan  and  with  temptation  and  with  sin  was  the 
conflict  of  a  man,  and  it  revealed  what  man  might 
have  done  in  the  beginning.     Man  and  not  God  is 


200  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

chargeable  with  the  existence  of  sin  and  woe  in 
this  world  of  ours  which  came  from  the  hand  of 
God  perfect.  Thus  we .  see  how  the  name  of  the 
Father  was  glorified  in  the  life  of  Jesus  up  to  the 
point  when  the  divine  voice  from  heaven  bore 
witness  to  him  in  the  presence  of  the  inquiring 
Greeks  and  before  the  assembled  multitudes. 

Do  we  not  see  how  the  Father  is  glorified  in 
Christ  from  this  point  on  to  the  close  of  Christ's 
earthly  history  ?  His  sacrifice  on  the  cross  opens 
the  gates  of  heiven  to  sinners.  Is  not  this  to  the 
glory  of  God  ?  What  is  more  to  the  glory  of  God  ? 
Does  not  the  cross  glorify  the  law  of  God  and  ex- 
hibit its  unchanging  and  impartial  justice  ?  When 
the  law  deals  with  the  Son  of  God  not  one  of  its 
demands  is  abated.  Justice  is  a  glorious  attribute, 
and  it  is  an  essential  to  the  welfare  of  the  uni- 
verse. Men  make  an  attack  upon  God  because  he 
consigns  impenitent  sinners  to  eternal  punish- 
ment. Does  not  the  cross  vindicate  God  in  this  ? 
Could  God  do  more  to  vSave  men  than  to  give  his 
Son  to  death  ?  The  impenitent  trample  the  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God  under  foot  and  account  it  an 
unholy  thing.  The  impenitent  walk  over  the 
cross  to  their  doom ;  if  they  v/ill  persist  in  doing 
this,  how  can  God  save  them  from  their  doom? 
Let  the  human  mind  which  criticises  the  good- 
ness of  God  suggest  a  better  goodness.  The  cross 
exhibits  infinite  love  upon  the  part  of  God,  and 
there  is  nothing  beyond  infinite  love. 

2.  The  seeking  Greeks  saw  the  only  method  by 
zvhich  Christ  could  accomplish  his  object. 


CHRIST  AND   THE   SEEKING  GREEKS.  201 

What  was  this  only  method?  It  was  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself  upon  the  cross.  The  cross  did 
not  enter  into  the  popular  ideal  of  the  Messiah  in 
the  days  when  Christ  walked  the  earth.  Going  to 
the  cross  was  considered  fatal.  The  idea  of  vic- 
tory through  the  cross  had  no  existence.  The 
Jews  thought  that  they  were  dooming  Christ  to 
eternal  infamy  and  ignominy  when  they  delivered 
him  to  the  Romans  to  be  crucified.  The  ideal  of 
the  Messiah  extant  was  that  of  a  great  personage 
coming  in  magnificence  and  power,  setting  up  a 
carnal  kingdom,  commanding  legions,  inaugura- 
ting devastating  wars,  and  playing  the  part  of  an 
Alexander,  only  surpassing  Alexander  in  his  moral 
character  and  in  the  greatness  of  his  victories.  If 
these  Greeks  who  sought  to  see  Jesus  had  the 
popular  ideal,  Christ  corrected  it  and  set  before 
them  the  true  ideal.  He  introduced  himself  to 
them  as  the  crucified  One.  He  told  them  that  the 
cross  was  the  battleground  upon  which  he  was  to 
win  his  victories  and  become  great  in  the  world. 
He  taught  them  also  that  the  cross  was  the  battle- 
ground upon  which  his  followers  were  to  win 
their  victories  and  rise  to  their  greatness.  With- 
out the  cross  Christ  is  weakness,  but  with  the 
cross  Christ  is  power.  What  is  true  of  Christ  is  , 
true  of  his  disciples.  If  you  are  making  no  sacri-  1 
fice  in  life,  you  are  without  power.  Self-forgetful  ' 
love  is  moral  strength.  This  and  this  only  is  ' 
moral  strength.  Tv/ice  in  these  brief  words  does 
Christ  set  before  these  Greeks,  and  all  who  list- 
ened to  him,  the  fact  that  he  must  be  crucified, 
9* 


202  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

and  that  only  by  dying  could  he  accomplish  his 
mission.  He  declares  it  by  the  simile  of  the  com 
of  wheat.  He  declares  it  by  saying  that  the  Son 
of  man  should  be  lifted  up.  ''The  Son  of  man" 
was  a  well  understood  title  of  the  Messiah,  and 
the  term  "lifted  up"  was  understood  as  a  term 
equivalent  to  crucifixion.  We  rejoice  in  this  de- 
scription which  Christ  gave  of  the  manner  of  his 
coming  death.  It  was  a  death  wholly  improbable 
to  any  Jew.  But  the  fact  that  this  improbable 
death  was  pictured  out  before  it  came  stands  as 
the  evidence  that  it  was  arranged  of  God  and  had 
a  divine  purpose. 

Not  only  were  the  inquiring  Greeks  allowed  to 
see  the  coming  sacrifice  of  Christ,  they  were  al- 
lowed to  see  how  much  of  Christ's  love  was  in  the 
sacrifice  and  how  much  the  sacrifice  cost  Christ. 
They  were  permitted  to  witness  the  soul-storm  in 
Christ.  They  were  allov/ed  to  see  the  foreshadow  of 
Gethsemane.  We  can  trace  the  mental  process 
which  brought  on  the  soul-storm  within  Christ. 
The  current  of  this  thought  was  natural.  The 
coming  of  these  Greeks  with  their  burning  desire 
stirred  Christ  to  thought  and  lifted  before  him  the 
prophetic  day  when  he  would  be  a  Light  to  lighten 
the  Gentiles.  The  thought  of  this  day  suggested 
the  means  by  which  it  was  to  be  inaugurated,  viz., 
his  death.  The  thought  of  his  death  lifted  before 
him  the  awful  vision  of  Calvary,  with  its  horrid 
contact  with  sin  and  its  divine  desertion.  As  he 
looked  the  awful  realities  in  the  face,  his  human 
nature  shrank  back  and  hesitated  and  questioned 


CHRIST  AND   THE  SEEKING   GREEKS.  203 

for  a  moment  whether  it  should  recede  or  go  for- 
ward. As  yet  there  were  no  wounds  inflicted  upon 
his  body  ;  as  yet  no  hand  of  violence  had  fallen 
upon  him ;  as  yet  the  heavens  had  not  become 
dark ;  but  to  his  mind  the  coming-  things  were 
real,  and  he  suffered  them  mentally.  A  flash  of 
lightning  lit  up  the  future  and  made  everything 
awfully  vivid  and  threw  him  into  an  agony  of 
soul.  In  this  conflict  he  spake  aloud,  and  the 
Greeks  heard  him  and  thus  learned  of  the  conflict. 
The  sharp  inner  conflict  lasted  only  for  a  moment. 
The  moment  the  conflict  was  inaugurated  it  was 
won.  The  conflict  and  the  triumph  are  recorded 
here  in  a  single  verse. 

The  question  has  been  asked.  How  can  we  best 
understand  this  inner  conflict  as  recorded  here? 
There  is  a  simple  way  of  understanding  it,  and 
that  is  by  properly  punctuating  the  record.  The 
best  critics  consider  that  the  proper  punctuation  is 
to  use  two  interrogation  points.  That  would  make 
the  record  read  in  this  wise :  "  Now  is  my  soul 
troubled.  And  what  shall  I  say  ?  Shall  I  say.  Fa- 
ther, save  me  from  this  hour  ?  No.  Because  for 
this  hour  came  I  into  the  world.  I  will  say.  Fa- 
ther, glorify  thy  name.**  This  reading  gives  the 
conflict  vividness,  and  shows  how  long  it  lasted 
and  how  Christ  won  it.  He  questioned  himself 
into  victory. 

Is  it  asked,  Why  is  this  conflict  recorded  ?  It  is 
recorded  for  the  same  reason  that  the  Gethsemane 
scene  is  recorded.  Would  you  be  vvrilling  to  spare 
the  record  of  Gethsemane  from  the  gospel  page.^ 


204  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

It  helps  you  to  a  right  conception  of  the  awfulness 
of  sin.  It  helps  you  to  measure  the  greatness  of 
the  sacrifice  of  the  cross.  It  magnifies  Christ,  his 
heroism  and  his  loyal  love.  We  would  lose  much 
if  we  lost  the  vision  of  Christ  in  Gethsemane.  As 
Gethsemane  was  Calvary  before  its  time,  so  this 
inner  conflict  was  Gethsemane  before  its  time. 

3.  The  seeking  Greeks  saw  the  wide  and  glorious 
results  which  were  to  accrue  to  Christ  from  following 
the  only  method  open  to  him, 

Christ  told  them  of  the  power  of  his  cross.  As 
Jesus  addressed  them  the  future  opened  to  his 
soul,  and  he  saw  of  the  travail  of  his  soul  and  was 
satisfied.  As  he  looked  into  the  future  he  saw 
a  twofold  victory  for  the  cross. 

(a.)  He  saw  a  victory  over  Satan.  Speaking  in 
the  prophetic  present,  he  says,  "  Now  is  the  crisis 
of  the  world  ;  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be 
cast  out."  In  the  cross  we  have  an  exposure  of 
Satan.  He  necessitated  the  cross.  By  the  cross 
he  struck  at  the  life  of  the  Son  of  God.  At  the 
cross  he  showed  his  malignity.  Satan  utters 
smooth  and  deceptive  words  concerning  sin ;  the 
cross  makes  the  lie  in  his  words  clear,  for  it  shows 
just  what  sin  is.  By  setting  forth  the  truth,  the 
cross  unmasks  the  errors  of  Satan,  and  robs  him  of 
his  influence,  and  dethrones  him  and  ejects  him. 

(b.)  He  saw  a  victory  over  the  hearts  of  men. 
Speaking  in  the  prophetic  present  he  says,  "And 
I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me."  As  Jesus  glanced  through  time  he 
saw  glorious  victories  for  the  cross  over  human 


CHRIST  AND   THE   SEEKING   GREEKS.  205 

hearts,  and  of  these  he  spake  to  the  inquiring 
Greeks.  We  are  not  kept  in  ignorance  of  the  glo- 
rious future.  Was  there  a  soul-storm  in  the  hour 
of  Christ's  experience?  There  was  also  a  soul- 
thrill  in  it.  This  thrill  he  communicates  to  us. 
The  future  has  in  it  multitudes  of  Christians  which 
no  man  can  number.  Thousands,  multiplied  by 
tens  of  thousands,  will  submit  to  Christ  in  loyal 
subjection.  Nations  shall  be  born  into  his  king- 
dom in  a  day.  "  Unto  him  shall  the  gathering  of 
the  people  be."  Perhaps  these  Greeks,  who  had 
been  won  to  Jehovah,  were  familiar  with  the  Old 
Testament  prophecies  which  set  forth  the  extent 
of  the  Messiah's  work  among  the  Gentiles,  and 
they  came  to  assure  themselves  that  Jesus  was  the 
one  who  would  realize  these  prophecies.  If  so, 
Christ  in  speaking  to  them  of  the  power  of  the 
cross  met  the  very  ideas  in  their  soul.  He  set 
himself  forth  as  the  promised  Light  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. He  drew  a  picture  of  the  glorious  extent  of 
the  kingdom. 

How  is  the  kingdom  of  Christ  to  be  set  up  and 
enlarged  ?  Does  Christ  tell  us  ?  Yes.  He  tells  us 
that  it  is  by  the  power  of  his  sacrifice. 

Sacrifice  has  always  a  power  to  draw  and  to 
win.  The  construction  of  our  mind  makes  it  so. 
The  missionary  who  goes  to  foreign  lands,  at  a 
great  sacrifice,  carries  our  heart  and  our  prayer 
and  our  contributions  with  him.  It  is  the  man 
who  sacrifices  himself  that  multiplies  himself. 
This  seems  to  be  the  law  for  all  realms.  Christ 
points  out  its  operation  in  nature.     It  operates  in 


206  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  experience  of  a  corn  of  wheat  which  multiplies. 
A  grain  of  wheat  is  never  glorified  until  it  sacri- 
fices itself.  Try  to  preserve  it  in  the  granary  and 
it  makes  no  increase.  It  is  when  it  dies  in  the  soil 
that  the  green  blade  springs  up,  grows  into  a  firm 
golden  stalk  with  golden  tassel  and  with  half  a 
hundred  golden  sheaths  filled  with  golden  grain. 
As  the  great  sacrifice  for  sin,  Christ  sets  himself 
before  these  inquiring  Greeks  as  God's  seed-corn 
which  would  bring  forth  the  million-sheaved  har- 
vest on  the  myriad  hills  of  earth. 

What  did  the  inquiring  Greeks  see  when  they 
saw  Christ.^  They  saw  Christ  in  his  relation  to 
heaven ;  they  saw  him  as  the  heaven-owned  and 
the  heaven-honored  ;  they  saw  his  grand  sacrificial 
love ;  they  saw  his  death  on  the  cross  in  both  the 
God-ward  and  man- ward  bearing.  He  died  for  the 
glory  of  God,  and  he  died  for  our  sakes.  They 
saw  what  it  cost  Christ  to  die,  and  the  grand  and 
crowning  results  of  his  dying. 


JESUS   TEACHING  HUMILITY.  207 


JESUS  TEACHING  HUMILITY   BY  WASH- 
ING HIS  DISCIPLES'  FEET. 

"Ye  call  me  Master  and  Lord  ;  and  ye  say  well,  for  so  i  am. 
If  I  then,  your  Lord  and  Master,  have  washed  your 
feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's  feet." — 
John  13:13,  14. 

This  chapter  introduces  the  closing  section  of 
the  Gospel  according  to  John.  All  that  precedes 
in  this  Gospel  deals  with  Christ's  wonderful  life ; 
these  closing  chapters  deal  with  scenes  which  per- 
tain to  his  death. 

His  public  life  is  over.  He  will  deliver  no 
more  sermons  in  the  Temple,  he  will  utter  no 
more  warnings,  he  will  work  no  more  miracles. 
He  has  wrought  enough  and  spoken  enough  to 
lead  the  world  to  faith  in  him.  If  men  will  con- 
tinue in  wilful  unbelief  they  must  bear  the  conse- 
quences. The  remaining  hours  of  his  life  Christ 
gives  to  private  fellowship  with  his  own  disciples. 
When  this  fellowship  is  over  he  goes  out  to  Geth- 
semane  and  Calvary. 

In  this  Scripture  we  find  Christ  and  his  disci- 
ples in  an  upper  chamber  of  Jerusalem  entering 
upon  the  celebration  of  the  last  Passover  and 
upon  the  first  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
The  two  disciples  sent  forth  to  make  ready  have 
found  the  man  bearing  the  pitcher  of  water  and 
have  secured  the  guest  chamber  of  which  Jesus 
spake.     All  things  are  now  ready ;  and  with  in- 


208  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

tense  longings  and  with  wonderful  emotions 
Christ  sits  down  with  his  friends  at  the  Paschal 
board.  The  hour  and  the  scene  are  full  of  sub- 
limity and  awe.  We  expect  nothing  but  tender- 
ness and  brotherly  love  and  high  ideals  and  love- 
ly purposes  and  magnanimous  and  Christlike 
deeds  upon  the  part  of  these  disciples  who  are 
now  admitted  to  the  grandest  privileges  of  the 
children  of  God.  We  expect  to  see  human  nature 
at  its  best.  But  alas,  we  are  compelled  to  look  at 
human  nature  at  its  worst.  In  this  sacramental 
chamber  it  breaks  forth  in  treason  and  bitterness 
and  pride  and  envy  and  strife  and  boasting.  In 
this  study  we  have  to  deal  only  with  pride  and  the 
strife.  In  our  future  study  we  will  have  to  deal 
with  the  treason  and  the  boasting. 

Pride  and  strife  manifest  themselves  twice  and 
in  rapid  succession.  A  great  deal  was  made  in 
those  days  of  the  place  and  position  of  the  guests 
at  the  supper-table.  The  place  which  a  man  occu- 
pied was  considered  indicative  of  his  character 
and  ability.  It  was  a  mark  of  his  rank.  Men 
were  therefore  naturally  desirous  of  having  chief 
places.  The  pride  of  the  disciples  showed  itself 
when  they  attempted  to  seat  themselves  at  the 
Passover  table.  They  fell  into  unseemly  conten- 
tion, each  claiming  the  highest  and  most  honora- 
ble seat.  They  thought  that  the  seat  which  they 
now  had  would  define  their  future  position  in 
Christ's  kingdom.  They  had  carnal  views  of  the 
kingdom.  The  contention  left  them  with  ruffled 
tempers  and  in  much  dissatisfaction.     What  an 


JESUS   TEACHING   HUMILITY.  20g 

unseemly  exhibition  of  liuman  nature  was  this  to 
force  upon  the  vision  of  Christ!  How  it  must 
have  clashed  w4th  his  inner  life,  and  v/ith  his  dy- 
ing love  which  felt  itself  in  the  presence  of  the 
cross ! 

We  have  not  told  all ;  pride  and  contention 
broke  out  again.  It  was  customary  for  some  one 
to  wash  the  feet  of  guests  at  the  supper  -  table. 
This  was  easily  done,  for  the  guests  upon  entering 
the  dining-room  laid  aside  their  loose-fitting  san- 
dals and  reclined  at  the  table  with  unshod  feet. 
Usually  the  servant  of  the  host  performed  this 
service.  As  this  upper  chamber  was  simply  bor- 
rowed for  the  occasion,  there  was  no  host  with  his 
servant.  The  question  was.  Which  one  of  the  dis- 
ciples will  volunteer  to  take  the  place  of  the  absent 
serA^ant  and  perform  this  act  of  hospitality  ?  Not 
one  volunteered.  Not  one  had  humility  enough. 
They  were  all  too  proud.  It  is  just  here  that  the 
Scripture  for  study  comes  in.  It  tells  us  that  what 
the  disciples  were  too  proud  to  do  Christ  did. 
Taking  the  water  and  the  basin  which  were  in 
waiting,  and  girding  himself  with  a  tov/el,  he 
washed  the  feet  of  all — the  feet  of  the  proud  and 
of  the  boaster  and  of  the  traitor.  Thus  he  re- 
buked their  pride  and  contention  and  taught  them 
the  grace  of  humility. 

I.   THE   SCRIPTURE  ANALYZED. 

I.   The  Scripture  begins  with  a  preface. 
This  seems  a  natural  thing,  because  the  writer 
is  entering  upon  a  new  section  of  the  Gospel.     He 

studies   in    John's   Gospel.  \^ 


2IO  STUDIES   IN   JOHNS   GOSPEL. 

is  leaving  the  story  of  Christ's  life  and  taking  tip 
the  story  of  his  death. 

The  design  of  the  preface  is  to  use  contrast  in 
setting  Christ  forth  in  these  closing  scenes  of  his 
life.  He  contrasts  with  his  disciples.  They  for- 
sake him,  deny  him,  betray  him  ;  he  loves  them 
to  the  end.  They  grieve  him ;  he  consoles  them. 
They  sin  against  him;  he  forgives  them.  They 
neglect  to  wash  his  feet ;  he  washes  theirs.  What 
a  contrast !  But  it  is  all  declarative  of  the  glory 
of  Christ ;  hence  John  records  it. 

Not  only  does  the  preface  show  the  contrast 
between  Christ  and  his  disciples,  it  shows  the  con- 
trast between  the  lowly  act  of  Christ  in  washing 
his  disciples'  feet  and  his  great  and  glorious  na- 
ture. It  identifies  him  with  the  Father  in  heaven. 
It  tells  us  that  he  performed  this  lowly  act  just  as 
he  was  about  to  leave  this  world  and  ascend  to  the 
glory  on  high.  It  opens  his  inner  life  and  allows 
us  to  see  that  he  performed  this  lowly  act  when  he 
was  swayed  with  the  consciousness  of  his  deity 
and  while  his  heart  was  filled  with  great  thoughts. 
This  is  part  of  the  preface  :  "  Jesus  knowing  that 
the  Father  had  given  all  things  into  his  hands, 
and  that  he  was  come  from  God  and  went  to  God  ; 
he  rose  from  supper  and  laid  aside  his  garments, 
and  took  a  towel  and  girded  himself."  Jesus  was 
conscious  of  his  deity  when  he  washed  the  feet  of 
his  disciples.  This  magnifies  the  act ;  it  transfig- 
ures it  with  love  and  condescension.  It  also  in- 
structs us  concerning  humility.  Humility  does 
not  consist  in  self-depreciation  or  in  underrating 


JESUS  TEACHING  HUMILITY.  211 

one's  self.  The  humble  man  is  conscious  of  his 
talents  and  ability.  If  he  have  greater  natural 
gifts  than  his  neighbor,  he  knows  that.  His  hu- 
mility consists  in  his  willingness  to  use  his  great 
gifts,  of  which  he  is  conscious,  in  lowly  and  need- 
ful acts.  His  humility  leads  him  to  consider  the 
doing  of  lowly  acts  an  honor  and  a  duty.  With 
humility  the  one  question  is,  What  is  duty  ?  What 
is  the  right  and  fitting  thing  to  do  ?  What  is  the 
right  and  fitting  position  to  fill?  It  never  asks 
the  question.  What  do  men  think  ?  or.  How  will 
I  look  ?  That  is  the  question  of  pride  and  not  of 
humility.  Whatever  is  the  right  thing  to  do,  hu- 
mility esteems  it  to  be  the  great  thing.  Whatever 
is  the  right  position  to  fill  humility  considers  the 
honorable  position.  I  believe  that  washing  the 
feet  of  his  disciples  was  as  pleasing  to  Jesus  Christ 
as  riding  to  glory  in  the  Shechinah  chariot  amid 
the  glad  songs  of  the  angels.  This  was  so  because 
washing  the  feet  of  his  disciples  was  the  very  thing 
requisite  to  be  done.  It  was  what  the  disciples 
needed,  it  was  what  the  world  to  the  end  of  time 
needed,  it  was  what  the  glory  of  God  needed  for 
its  proper  manifestation. 

2.  The  Scripture  fully  describes  the  lowly  act  of 
Christ, 

Everything  is  detailed  here :  the  thoughts  which 
were  passing  through  the  soul  of  Christ,  how  he 
began  the  washing,  how  he  assumed  the  servant's 
costume  and  manner,  and  how  he  closed  the  cere- 
mony. The  narrative  dwells  on  the  conduct  of 
Peter  and  the  conversation  between  him  and  Christ. 


212  STUDIES  IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

When  Christ  reached  Peter,  the  apostle  acted 
out  his  impulsive  nature.  He  declared  that  Christ 
should  never  wash  his  feet.  Like  the  other  disci- 
ples, he  was  cut  to  the  quick  by  Christ's  act.  He 
looked  upon  Christ's  act  as  a  stinging  rebuke  to 
his  pride  and  his  unsanctified  ambition,  which  led 
him  to  take  pail  in  the  contention  for  place  and 
honor.  He  considered  the  act  humiliating  to 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God.  He  could  see  him  raise 
the  dead,  heal  the  sick,  and  do  other  Godlike  acts ; 
but  this  act  of  washing  his  feet  was  altogether  out 
of  place  and  below  Christ.  "  Far  be  this  from 
thee.  Lord."  "Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet." 
Perhaps  Peter  thought  his  refusal  was  humility, 
but  it  was  not.  It  was  easier  for  him  to  push 
Christ  away  than  it  was  to  submit  to  having  his 
feet  washed  by  Christ.  Pushing  Christ  away  was 
shunning  the  rebuke  which  he  deserved ;  submit- 
ting to  the  ablution  was  humbly  taking  the  rebuke 
and  submitting  to  the  rod.  Peter  needed  the  re- 
buke, so  Christ  compelled  him  to  take  it.  The 
washing  brought  down  his  pride.  The  washing 
made  Christ's  rebuke  effective. 

When  Peter  found  that  he  must  submit  he 
went  to  another  extreme.  When  Christ  told  him 
that  if  He  washed  him  not  he  could  have  no  part 
with  Him,  then  Peter  wanted  Him  to  wash  him 
from  head  to  foot.  Both  in  his  refusal  and  in  his 
proposal  he  was  under  the  sway  of  presumption. 
It  is  presumption  not  to  take  all  that  Christ  wants 
to  give,  and  it  is  presumption  to  demand  more  or 
to  claim  more  than  Christ  gives.     Humility  con- 


JESUS  TEACHING   HUMILITY.  21 3 

sists  in  accepting  all  of  the  gifts  of  God's  free 
grace  and  in  conforming  absolutely  to  the  divine 
will.  Some  spiritualize  the  words  of  Christ  to 
Peter.  This  may  be  right,  and  the  words  of  Christ 
may  be  able  to  bear  what  is  read  into  them  ;  but  I 
am  satisfied  to  confine  them  altogether  to  this  in- 
cident, and  make  them  mean  nothing  more  than 
this,  namely.  In  all  things  you  must  submit  to  my 
dictation  and  bury  your  will  in  mine,  for  my  will 
is  perfect  and  reasonable  and  complete.  It  is  not 
requisite  to  spiritualize  the  words  of  Christ,  be- 
cause everything  which  is  read  into  them  is  found 
elsewhere  in  the  divine  Word  and  in  its  legiti- 
mate place. 

3.  The  Scripture  explains  the  act  of  Christ  as  syni- 
bolic. 

The  explanation  recorded  by  the  Scripture  was 
given  by  Christ  himself.  When  he  had  finished 
the  washing  and  had  resumed  his  place  at  the 
head  of  the  table,  he  told  his  disciples  that  his  act 
was  a  talking  act.  He  told  them  that  it  was  meant 
to  inculcate  the  grace  of  humility.  He  told  them 
that  they  were  mistaken  in  their  ideas  of  what 
constituted  greatness.  He  told  them  that  this  act 
of  his,  lowly  as  it  was,  was  becoming  to  him  who 
was  their  Lord  and  Master.  Thus  he  taught  them 
that  greatness  consisted  in  service.  The  greatest 
servant  among  them  was  the  greatest  man  among 
them.  He  told  them  that  he  had  given  them  an 
abiding  example  to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  true 
humility,  which  he  wished  his  disciples  to  culti- 
vate.    He  told  them  that  if  they  wanted  happiness 


214  STUDIES    IN   JOHNS   GOSPEL. 

and  growth  in  the  divine  life  they  must  reproduce 
him  and  live  by  his  spirit. 

Was  Christ's  symbolic  teaching  upon  the  grace 
of  humility  effective  ?  It  certainly  was.  The  most 
stubborn  pupil  which  Christ  had  that  day  was 
Simon  Peter.  We  may  well  take  him  as  an  index 
of  the  class  which  Jesus  taught.  If  the  lesson  told 
upon  him,  we  may  conclude  that  it  told  upon  the 
great  majority.  If  we  turn  to  the  Epistle  written 
by  Peter,  we  find  that  among  the  things  which  he 
treated  and  which  he  enjoined  was  this  very  grace 
of  humility.  And  what  does  he  say  ?  He  gives  it 
the  highest  rank  among  the  graces.  He  enjoins 
us  to  be  constantly  w^rapped  up  and  enfolded  in  it. 
He  prescribes  humility  as  a  constant  garment. 
"  Be  clothed  with  humility."  This  is  a  striking 
figure  and  one  calculated  to  give  us  confidence  in 
the  grace  of  humility.  God  through  Peter  com- 
mands us  to  treat  it  as  a  robe.  All  the  robes  of 
God's  provision  are  beautiful.  Look  at  the  splen- 
dor of  his  own  vesture !  "  He  clothes  himself  w4th 
light  as  with  a  garment."  Look  at  the  robes  in 
which  he  has  decked  nature !  The  clouds  are 
arrayed  in  silver  and  purple,  in  crimson  and  gold. 
The  meadows  in  green,  the  grain-fields  in  rich  yel- 
low, and  the  autumnal  forests  in  sunset  splendors 
are  magnificent.  So  are  the  lilies  in  their  vestal 
white.  God  is  a  true  judge  of  robes.  We  can 
trust  him  when  he  prescribes  robes  for  the  immor- 
tal soul  which  he  has  created  in  his  own  image. 
When  he  tells  us  that  the  robes  of  our  self-right- 
eousness are  as  filthy  rags,  and  when  he  commands 


JESUS   TEACHING   IIUMILITV.  215 

US  to  be  clothed  with  humility,  we  should  feel  that 
the  soul  is  most  attractive  in  this  garment.  Chris- 
tian, would  you  see  how  the  garment  of  humility 
looks  ?  Behold  the  Son  of  God  in  his  infinite  con- 
descension among  his  disciples.  Humility  is  a 
robe  which  the  Son  of  God  can  wear.  It  is  when 
clad  in  it  that  we  see  his  deity.  It  is  when  clad  in 
it  that  he  is  most  attractive  to  us. 

II.   QUESTIONS   CONCERNING   CHRISTIAN   HUMILITY. 

These  questions  we  must  ask  rapidly. 

Question  i.      What  is  humility? 

Defined  by  this  Scripture,  humility  is  a  willing- 
ness to  do  lowly  acts  and  to  occupy  lowly  places 
for  the  glory  of  God.  We  can  learn  what  humility 
is  by  its  opposite.  Its  opposite  is  pride.  Pride 
brings  with  it  jealousy  and  love  of  preeminence 
and  envy  and  ostentation  and  self-conceit  and  high 
thoughts  and  contention.  After  conversion  the 
saints  receive  their  greatest  injuries  from  pride. 
Now  if  we  are  to  get  rid  of  pride  we  must  crowd  it 
out  of  our  nature  by  bringing  in  humility.  Hu- 
mility is  the  opposite  of  pride. 

Question  2.  Where  can  we  find  the  truest  and 
most  perfect  type  of  humility  ? 

In  Christ.  In  the  Christ  of  this  Scripture. 
Christ  washing  the  feet  of  his  disciples  is  the  tru- 
est and  highest  type  of  humility.  We  should 
never  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  Christ  is  our  pat- 
tern. We  are  called  to  imitate  him.  Some  one 
has  said,  If  you  would  become  a  painter,  take  the 
pencil  and  study  Raphael ;  if  you  would  become  a 


2l6  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

sculptor,  take  the  chisel  and  study  Phidias ;  if  you 
would  become  a  poet,  take  the  pen  and  study  Ho- 
mer; but  if  you  would  become  a  Christian,  take 
the  New  Testament  and  study  Christ.  Contem- 
plate him  until  you  can  call  riches  dust,  worldly 
splendors  toys,  and  until  you  can  feel  that  true 
glory  is  to  be  like  him,  meek  and  lowly  of  heart. 

Question  3.  How  does  God  seek  to  secure  humility 
in  his  disciples  ? 

(a.)  By  bringing  them  into  the  presence  of  a  perfect 
God,  that  they  may  measure  themselves  by  him. 

He  reveals  God  by  his  earthly  life,  and  thus 
brings  them  into  God's  presence.  Our  estimate  of 
self  depends  altogether  upon  the  ideal  or  rule  by 
which  we  measure  ourselves.  Let  the  Pharisee 
measure  himself  by  the  publican,  and  he  will  feel 
his  greatness.  Let  Job  compare  himself  with  his 
friends,  and  he  will  have  no  difficulty  in  defending 
his  integrity.  When  God  wants  to  humble  Job 
Lie  brings  him  into  His  own  presence  and  talks 
with  him  from  the  whirlwind.  It  is  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God  that  Job  falls  upon  the  ground  and 
cries,  "I  abhor  myself."  Christ  brings  his  disci- 
ples into  the  presence  of  God  and  makes  them  feel 
the  reach  and  the  spirituality  of  his  law,  and  in 
this  way  humbles  them  by  a  revelation  of  their 
defects. 

(b.)  By  saving  them  tJirough  grace. 

Salvation  by  grace  takes  away  all  ground  for 
boasting.  It  reveals  our  nothingness.  It  gives  all 
the  glory  to  God. 

(c.)  By  assigning  them  large  tasks. 


JESUS   TEACHING   HUMILITY.  21'J 

He  gives  them  commandments  to  obey.  He 
gives  them  his  example  to  reproduce.  "  I  have 
given  you  an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have 
done."  *'  It  is  the  men  who  stand  in  the  midst  of 
the  unattempted  tasks  who  are  proud.  It  is  the 
narrowness  of  our  lives  that  makes  us  proud." 
The  men  who  have  attempted  to  be  like  Christ 
and  to  carry  on  his  cause,  and  who  have  seen  how 
far  they  have  come  short,  these  are  they  who  are 
modest  and  humble.  The  men  who  see  the  unat- 
tained  heights  are  the  men  who  feel  that  they  are 
away  down  in  the  valley.  Striving  to  reproduce 
Christ  is  enough  to  keep  a  man  humble  for  a  life- 
time. This  Christ  knew  when  he  assigned  to  the 
Christian  this  task. 

(d.)  By  his  rebuke  of  pride. 

More  than  once  did  Christ  rebuke  men  for 
pride.  Washing  the  feet  of  his  disciples  was  a 
rebuke.  Setting  a  child  in  the  midst  of  his  con- 
tending disciples  was  a  rebuke.  The  parable  of 
the  Pharisee  and  publican  at  prayer  in  the  Tem- 
ple was  a  rebuke.  This  is  a  masterpiece  of  reproof. 
It  burns  with  scorn  and  indignation,  its  words  are 
like  arrows  of  fire,  and  yet  it  carries  with  it  the 
judgment  and  the  common  sense  of  the  world.  It 
is  tremendously  keen  and  cutting,  and  yet  it  gives 
us  pleasure  to  read  it.  It  was  a  bold  thing  for 
Jesus  to  utter  that  parable  ;  it  was  a  piece  of  thrill- 
ing heroism.  It  was  as  much  as  his  life  was  worth. 
It  shows  how  fatal  he  considered  pride  and  how 
highly  he  esteemed  humility.  These  rebukes  of 
Christ  are  the  precious  treasures  of  the  church ; 

lO 


2l8  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

they  emphasize  his  mind  and  will  and  act  as  an 
impetus  in  pressing  us  on  to  a  higher  attainment 
of  humility. 

A   CLOSING   POINT. 

Humility  is  the  road  to  Jionor. 

It  was  such  in  the  experience  of  Christ.  "  Be- 
cause he  humbled  himself  and  became  obedient  to 
the  death  of  the  cross,  therefore  hath  God  highly 
exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name  that  is  above 
every  name."  The  Bible  explicitly  declares  that 
before  honor  is  humility.  We  cannot  forget  the 
words  of  Christ  himself  concerning  the  humble 
publican  who  smote  upon  his  breast  and  said, 
*'  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner !"  Contrasting 
him  with  the  proud  Pharisee  who  preached  to  God 
instead  of  praying,  Jesus  said,  "  I  tell  you  that  this 
man'  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than 
the  other:  for  whosoever  humbleth  himself  shall 
be  exalted,  but  whosoever  exalteth  himself  shall 
be  abased."  The  water-drop  looks  down  from  the 
cloud  upon  the  ripe  fruit  which  hangs  upon  the 
tree.  It  envies  the  water  turned  into  sweetness. 
It  covets  a  place  in  the  rosy  apple.  How  can  it 
reach  such  a  place  of  honor?  Only  by  humility. 
It  must  come  to  the  ground,  lose  itself  in  the  soil, 
go  down  to  the  very  roots  of  the  tree,  and  slowly 
work  its  way  up  through  trunk  and  branch.  This! 
is  the  only  way.  The  course  of  the  water-drop  is 
typical  of  the  course  by  which  man  reaches  his 
coveted  ideals.  The  way  to  the  throne  is  through 
the  cross.     Thus  it  was  with  Christ.     Thus  it  is 


JESUS   TEACHING   HUMILITY.  219 

with  all  the  disciples  of  Christ.  Tribulations  and 
conflicts  are  associated  with  white  robes  and 
crowns.  While  this  is  true,  it  is  also  true  that 
white  robes  and  crowns  are  associated  with  tribu- 
lations and  conflicts.  Those  who  are  one  with 
Christ  in  his  humiliation  will  also  be  one  with 
Christ  in  his  exaltation.  Lazarus  at  the  gate  will 
some  day  be  Lazarus  in  Abraham's  bosom. 


STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

:/ 

CHRIST  COMFORTING  HIS  DISCIPLES. 

"  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."— /oAw  14:1. 

In  the  study  of  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  John 
I  wish  to  do  two  things :  First  to  give  the  chapter 
in  outline ;  second,  to  derive  from  it  the  things 
which  should  be  in  every  man's  life  to  ennoble 
and  comfort. 

THE   CHAPTER  IN   OUTLINE. 

In  outlining  the  chapter  we  should  never  lose 
sight  of  this  fact :  The  chapter  has  a  unity.  It  is 
a  sermon  preached  upon  the  text,  "  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled."  Every  sentence  in  it  is  in- 
tended to  present  some  antidote  for  the  troubled 
heart.  The  chapter  is  valuable  because  it  teaches 
us  how  Christ  comforts  his  own,  and  because  it 
initiates  us  in  the  art  of  administering  consolation. 

In  comforting  and  ennobling  man  Christ  be- 
gins with  God.  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled ; 
ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me."  That  is 
the  only  way  to  begin.  Let  there  be  right  con- 
ceptions of  God  and  right  relations  to  God,  and 
everything  else  will  be  right  in  man's  life.  Right 
conceptions  of  God,  right  relations  to  God !  These 
phrases  call  out  two  questions. 

Question  i.  How  are  we  to  look  at  God  that  we 
may  reach  right  conceptio7is  of  him  ? 

We  are  to  look  at  him  as  seen  in  Christ,  i.  e., 


CHRIST  COMFORTING   HIS   DISCIPLES.  221 

rounded  out  and  made  historic.  God  has  written 
concerning  himself  upon  the  manuscripts  of  the 
sky  and  the  earth.  These  revelations  are  sublime. 
When  he  writes  upon  the  sky  he  uses  blazing 
worlds  as  an  alphabet;  when  he  writes  upon  the 
broad  pages  of  the  earth  he  uses  the  gray  rocks 
and  the  green  foliage  and  the  burning  flowers  as 
an  alphabet.  But  the  revelation  of  God  in  nature, 
grand  as  it  is,  is  nothing  like  the  revelation  of  God 
which  we  have  in  the  personality  and  life  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.  In  Jesus  of  Nazareth  we  have  a  liv- 
ing voice  and  a  beating  heart  and  immortal  facul- 
ties in  operation.  Stars  and  stones  and  flowers  are 
nothing  to  these.  The  whole  of  divine  revelation 
is  one  in  saying  to  us,  If  you  would  know  God, 
study  Christ,  for  Christ  is  God  incarnated. 

Question  2.  In  zvhat  do  right  relations  with  God 
consist  f 

Christ  sums  up  right  relations  with  God  in  one 
word,  namely,  "  Faith,"  '*  belie/:'  ''  Ye  believe  in 
God ;  believe  also  in  me."  Believing  is  the  high- 
est homage  that  we  can  pay  to  God.  Faith  honors 
every  attribute  of  his  nature,  and  every  attribute 
of  his  nature  responds  to  and  honors  faith.  The 
man  who  is  shielded  by  every  attribute  of  God 
and  who  is  helped  by  every  attribute  of  God  need 
not  be  plagued  by  a  troubled  heart. 

Having  prescribed  faith  as  an  antidote  for  sor- 
row, Christ  next  tells  his  disciples  to  balance  the 
dark  present  by  the  glorious  future.  It  is  at  this 
point  that  he  opens  heaven  to  them.  And  most 
beautiful  and  vivid  is  heaven  as  he  sets  it  forth. 


222  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

What  would  this  world  do  without  the  hope  of 
heaven  ?  To  many  and  many  the  hope  of  heaven 
is  the  only  comfort  they  have.  But  this  hope  is 
more  precious  to  them  than  gold.  The  day  is 
coming  when  they  will  know  no  tears.  You  see 
how  Christ  strengthens  and  consoles.  He  uses 
contrasts.  He  puts  his  glorious  return  against  his 
painful  going,  the  future  against  the  present,  the 
promises  made  to  faith  against  the  apparent  fatal- 
ity of  circumstances.  He  banishes  gloom  by  intro- 
ducing glory. 

At  this  point  the  address  of  Christ  turns  into 
the  form  of  dialogue.  With  a  reverent  freedom 
the  disciples  ask  him  questions.  It  was  Christ's 
design  that  they  should.  He  put  his  assertions  in 
a  form  calculated  to  call  forth  queries.  The  ques- 
tions asked  bring  out  great  facts  concerning  him- 
self— facts  like  these  :  ''  Christ  is  the  way  and  the 
truth  and  the  life."  Christ  is  the  revelation  of  the 
Father :  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father."  Christ's  works  and  words  prove  his 
deity :  "  Believe  me  for  my  works'  sake."  "  The 
words  that  I  speak  are  not  mine,  but  the  Father's." 
The  questions  asked  bring  out  also  the  slowness  of 
the  disciples  to  learn.  "  Have  I  been  so  long  time 
with  you  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me,  Phil- 
ip ?"  The  church  has  had  Christ  eighteen  hundred 
years,  and  still  he  is  the  great  Unknown.  Not- 
withstanding he  is  with  us  in  the  presence  and 
power  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  ordinances  and  institu- 
tions of  the  church,  in  the  triumphs  of  his  truth, 
and  in  the  trophies  of  his  grace,  yet  his  disciples 


CHRIST  COMFORTING  HIS   DISCIPLES.  223 

have  only  imperfect  views  of  his  grace  and  glory. 
There  are  chapters  in  the  divine  Word  which  per- 
tain to  him  that  we  have  never  studied.  In  com- 
paring what  we  know  of  him  with  what  remains 
to  be  known  of  him,  Christ  is  as  yet  the  great  Un- 
known in  our  lives.  We  of  the  nineteenth  century 
deserve  the  reproof  administered  to  Philip  of  the 
first  century. 

Having  answered  the  questions  of  Thomas  and 
Philip,  Jesus  takes  up  the  thread  of  his  discourse 
at  the  place  where  it  was  broken,  and  continues  to 
comfort  his  disciples  by  pointing  out  the  advanta- 
ges of  his  going.  He  contrasts  his  staying  and 
his  going,  and  shows  that  his  going  meant  more 
to  him  and  more  to  them.  They  would  gain  by 
his  going,  because  in  his  exalted  state,  as  the  pos- 
sessor of  all  power,  he  would  give  them  energy  to 
carry  forward  his  work  with  greater  effectiveness. 
They  would  even  do  greater  works  than  he  had 
done.  Thus  he  filled  their  minds  with  thoughts 
of  work  and  with  the  contemplation  of  a  glowing 
future.  There  is  no  better  way  of  breathing  life 
and  comfort  into  men.  And  was  his  prediction 
concerning  their  future  fulfilled  ?  Have  his  disci- 
ples done  greater  works  than  his?  Yes.  They 
started  off  with  three  thousand  converts  on  the 
very  first  day.  Christ  never  converted  three  thou- 
sand in  any  single  day  during  his  brief  career. 
Christianity,  with  its  wonderful  progress  and  won- 
derful products,  is  the  miracle  of  the  ages.  Think 
of  it !  It  has  given  the  world  great  men  and  great 
institutions  and  great  blessings.     "  At  first  it  was 


224  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

only  a  dot  upon  the  map  of  the  world  ;  now  whole 
continents  are  subdued  and  bannered." 

When  Jesus  had  painted  the  advantages  of  his 
going,  he  next  consoled  his  disciples  by  giving 
them  many  and  precious  promises.  These  were 
calculated  to  drive  anxiety  and  dark  thoughts  away 
from  the  soul  and  to  arouse  all  the  energies  of  the 
soul  in  uplifting  action.  These  were  magnificent 
helps  to  faith.  He  promised  them  the  coming  and 
the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  meant 
spiritual  communion,  the  communication  of  spirit- 
ual life,  and  the  consciousness  of  indissoluble  one- 
ness with  Christ.  This  meant  the  fulness  of  the 
truth  and  a  glorified  Christ,  for  Christ  said  concern- 
ing the  coming  Spirit,  "  He  shall  glorify  me,"  and 
*'  He  shall  lead  you  into  all  truth."  He  promised 
them  the  gift  of  his  own  peace :  '*  Peace  I  leave 
with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto  you ;  not  as  the 
world  giveth  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart 
be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid."  We  can  do 
without  the  best  things  which  the  world  gives,  but 
we  cannot  do  without  Christ's  abiding  gift  of 
peace,  which  keeps  our  hearts  and  minds.  What 
is  this  peace  ?  An  apostle  says,  "It  is  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding."  It  can 
be  felt  in  the  inner  consciousness  of  the  soul ;  it 
can  be  seen  in  the  courage  and  consistency  and 
hope  and  resignation  and  calm  of  the  Christian 
life  as  the  child  of  God  stands  like  a  rock  in  the 
raging  storm ;  but  it  cannot  be  put  into  intelligible 
words.  The  grandest  and  deepest  things  of  life 
have  always  been  the  inexpressible. 


CHRIST   COMFORTING   IIIS  DISCIPLES.  225 

Christ  closes  his  comforting  sermon  by  telling 
his  disciples  that  in  leaving  them  that  he  may  go 
to  his  cross  and  his  conflict  he  finds  the  purpose  of 
his  coming  into  the  world.  If  he  remained  with 
them,  as  they  desired,  his  life  would  be  a  failure, 
and  the  covenant  of  grace,  whereby  men  are  saved, 
would  be  a  void  and  worthless  thing.  His  going 
meant  the  salvation  of  man  through  the  atonement 
of  the  cross.  When  understood  in  its  true  light, 
his  going  to  his  grand  mission  ought  to  be  the 
occasion  of  joy  to  the  disciples  and  not  of  sorrow. 
The  angels,  the  first-born  sons  of  God,  shouted 
aloud  for  joy  over  the  work  of  creation  ;  the  whole 
universe  should  shout  aloud  for  joy  over  the  work 
of  redemption.  It  was  to  the  work  of  redemption 
that  Christ  went  forth.  With  this  thrilling  thought 
this  magnificent  fourteenth  chapter  of  John  closes. 
Having  finished  his  farewell  address  with  this 
thought,  Christ  called  upon  his  disciples  to  sing 
together  the  grand  Hallel  from  the  inspired  book  of 
praise,  and  he  joined  them  in  the  singing.  This 
Hallel  was  composed  of  the  11 6th,  11 7th,  and  11 8th 
Psalms.  Most  suitable  was  this  Hallel  or  hallelu- 
jah for  the  occasion.  It  anticipated  this  very  hour 
and  foretold  the  redeeming  work  of  Christ.  Listen 
to  the  way  it  closes : 

"  The  stone  which  the  builders  rejected 
Is  become  the  head  of  the  corner. 
This  is  the  doing  of  the  Lord ; 
It  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 
Save  now,  O  Lord;  send  now  salvation! 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
Who  cometh  for  our  salvation. 

studies   in    Jolin'R   Gospel.  jq* 


226  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

This  is  the  day  Jehovah  hath  made ; 

Let  us  rejoice  in  it  and  be  glad. 

A  mighty  God  is  Jehovah,  and  he  giveth  us  light. 

Bind  the  sacrifice  with  cords  upon  the  altar. 

Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee ; 

Thou  art  my  God,  I  will  exalt  thee. 

Oh  give  thanks  unto  Jehovah,  for  he  is  good, 

For  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever." 

WHAT  THINGS  DOES  THIS  CHAPTER  BID  US  TO   PUT 
INTO  OUR  LIVES  TO  ENNOBLE  AND  TO  COMFORT? 

The  question  is  designed  to  wheel  the  immor- 
tal words  of  Jesus  into  telling  service  and  to  per- 
petuate their  influence.  Thou  hast  given  us,  O 
God,  these  lives  of  ours  to  construct  and  to  use. 
Teach  us,  we  pray  thee,  how  to  construct  them 
and  how  to  use  them.  Teach  us  how  to  protect 
them  against  paralyzing  griefs.  This  chapter  is 
God's  reply  uttered  by  the  lips  of  his  Son.  The 
reply  is  threefold. 

I .  Fill  life  with  faith  in  God,  if  you  would  ennoble 
it  and  make  it  replete  with  comfort. 

There  is  no  grand  life  apart  from  faith  in  God, 
and  there  is  no  true  faith  in  God  apart  from  faith 
in  Christ,  the  only  mediator  between  God  and 
man.  This  is  what  this  chapter  rings  out.  This 
is  the  alpha  and  the  omega  of  this  farewell  of 
Christ.  It  exalts  the  joy  and  peace  of  believing. 
It  declares  that  faith  in  God  drives  out  fear  with 
its  torments,  because  fear  dwarfs  and  paralyzes  the 
Christian  in  every  conceivable  way.  The  great 
cry  of  this  chapter  is  '*  trust;'  *'  trust,"  "  TRUST." 
**  Believe  in  God ;  believe  also  in  me."     When  you 


CHRIST  COMFORTING  HIS   DISCIPLES.  22/ 

are  in  trial,  trust  in  God.  When  you  are  battling 
with  temptation,  trust  in  God.  When  you  are  en- 
tering upon  conflict  and  labor,  trust  in  God.  When 
your  heart  is  rent  and  torn  by  the  separations  of 
bereavement,  trust  in  God.  What  in  God  shall  we 
trust  ?  Trust  his  love  ;  trust  his  wisdom  ;  trust  his 
power ;  trust  his  justice  ;  trust  his  covenant ;  trust 
his  pledged  word.  By  faith  build  your  whole  life 
upon  the  nature  of  God  as  the  wise  man  builds  his 
house  upon  the  solid  rock. 

Of  one  thing  be  assured,  that  faith  in  God  is 
equal  to  any  task  and  to  any  crisis.  It  is  equal  to 
these  because  it  brings  God  into  a  man's  personal- 
ity. God's  wisdom  acts  and  thinks  through  his 
brain ;  God's  holiness  acts  in  and  impels  his  con- 
science ;  God's  love  inhabits  and  finds  an  outcome 
through  his  affections;  God's  power  hides  itself 
and  throbs  in  his  arm.  Faith  is  the  conducting 
pipe  running  from  the  reservoir  to  the  fountain : 
the  conducting  pipe  puts  all  the  fulness  of  the  res- 
ervoir at  the  disposal  of  the  fountain.  When  the 
fulness  of  the  reservoir  flows  through  the  fountain 
there  is  a  grand  outburst  of  the  crystal  water.  A 
miniature  cataract  plays  in  the  air.  Diamond 
drops,  silver  spray,  and  tinted  rainbows — all  these 
sparkle  before  the  beholder,  for  all  these  are 
the  product  of  the  over-full  fountain.  When  faith 
connects  man  and  God,  the  very  fulness  of  God 
flows  into  man,  and  the  work  of  God  in  the  man's 
life  is  sublime.  Divine  loves,  divine  joys,  divine 
principles,  divine  habitudes,  divine  deeds,  divine 
victories — all  these  appear  in  the  man's  history  and 


228  STUDIES   IN   JOIIN'S   GOSPEL. 

beautify  his  life.  The  man  becomes  a  living  foun- 
tain of  spiritual  water  in  the  world  of  humanity. 
To  use  the  words  of  the  Master  himself,  He  is  "  a 
well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 

2.  Fill  life  wit  Ji  prayer,  if  you  would  ennoble  it  and 
make  it  replete  with  comfort. 

No  prayerless  life  can  either  be  comfortable  or 
great.  No  man  is  equal  to  the  crises  of  life  who 
does  not  pray.  Prayer  puts  our  life  into  God's 
hand  to  be  shaped  and  guided  and  protected. 
Prayer  puts  God  with  his  infinite  attributes  into 
connection  with  us  that  we  may  use  them  in  our 
heaven-assigned  tasks.  Christ  could  not  live  his 
human  life  without  prayer ;  neither  can  we.  He 
spent  whole  nights  in  prayer ;  and  no  one  can  tell 
the  outcome  of  power  attributable  to  those  nights. 
The  perfection  of  his  human  life  came  out  of 
them.  Prayer  brought  him  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  Prayer  brought  him  his  transfigura- 
tion upon  the  mount.  Prayer  carried  him  through 
Gethsemane.  Of  Gethsemane  it  is  written,  "  Be- 
ing in  agony,  he  prayed ;  and  an  angel  came  and 
strengthened  him."  Christ  knew  the  power  of 
prayer,  and  so  when  he  found  his  disciples  troubled 
in  heart  he  told  them  to  pray,  and  he  set  before 
them  in  his  farewell  address  the  power  of  prayer. 

I  would  have  you  notice,  brethren,  that  in  this 
fourteenth  chapter  of  John  Christ  gives  prayer  a 
new  power  as  he  puts  it  afresh  into  the  hands  of 
his  disciples.  Prayer  was  a  wonderful  power 
under  the  Old  Testament ;  but  he  makes  it  a 
greater  power  under  the  New  Testament.    Was  it 


CHRIST  COMFORTING   HIS   DISCirLES.  229 

not  a  wonderful  power  under  the  Old  Testament  ? 
See  Moses  praying  Israel  out  of  Egypt  to  the  very 
border  of  the  promised  land.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  prayer,  he  could  not  have  carried  them  one- 
half  of  the  way.  Time  after  time  his  prayer 
turned  aside  the  thunderbolt  of  destruction.  See 
Elijah  praying  the  Hebrew  reformation  through 
to  a  glorious  climax  !  Yes ;  prayer  was  a  wonder- 
ful power  under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation. 
But  Christ  adds  to  its  force.  He  gives  it  what  it 
never  had  before,  the  power  of  his  own  name. 
What  does  his  name  mean  ?  It  means  his  grand 
personality,  his  love  -  fulfilling  life,  his  penalty- 
bearing  death.  It  means  the  covenant  of  grace 
fulfilled.  It  means  that  he  has  purchased  for  us 
the  blessing  for  which  we  pray.  We  know  that 
Christ  by  his  coming  and  work  has  heightened 
praise  and  has  given  it  a  new  sweep.  He  has 
called  forth  new  songs.  Mary  sang  a  new  song, 
and  so  did  the  aged  Simeon,  and  so  did  thousands 
of  other  sweet  singers.  He  has  not  only  called 
out  new  songs,  but  he  has  broadened  and  widened 
the  old  songs.  He  made  a  new  Psalm  out  of  the 
twenty-fourth  and  a  new  Psalm  out  of  the  six- 
teenth. As  Jesus  has  given  praise  a  new  sweep 
and  a  new  power,  even  so  has  he  given  prayer  a 
new  sweep  and  a  new  power.  This  increase  in  the 
power  of  prayer  is  part  of  the  reward  of  his  humil- 
iation. It  is  so  set  forth  by  Paul  in  his  letter  to 
the  Philippians.  In  enumerating  the  rewards 
which  the  Father  gives  him  he  writes,  ''Where-- 
fore  God  hath  highly  exalted  him  and  given  him  a 


230  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

name  which  is  above  every  name ;  that  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow."  The  old 
version  of  the  New  Testament  renders  Paul's 
words,  *'At  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should 
bov/;"  but  the  Revised  Version  gives  the  true 
meaning  of  the  Greek  and  renders  it,  "In  the 
name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow."  That 
is,  prayer  should  be  made  in  his  name,  and  the 
answers  of  prayer  shall  proclaim  the  greatness 
of  his  atoning  work  and  its  far-reaching  effects. 
The  effectiveness  of  prayer,  now  that  it  has  added 
to  it  the  power  of  Christ's  redemptive  work,  seems 
almost  limitless.  Mark  Christ's  own  words  in  this 
chapter :  "  Hitherto  you  have  asked  nothing  in  my 
name ;  but  now  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glori- 
fied in  the  Son."  With  this  new  power  New 
Testament  men  ought  to  be  able  to  do  far  more  by 
means  of  prayer  than  the  Old  Testament  men  did. 
We  need  to  be  taught  concerning  the  value  and 
power  of  prayer.  We  need  to  be  urged  to  a  great- 
er use  of  prayer.  We  need  to  be  lifted  to  a  faith 
in  prayer  like  that  which  these  disciples  reached. 
In  after  life  they  realized  the  truth  of  what  Christ 
said.  One  wrote,  ''  The  effectual  fervent  prayer  of 
a  righteous  man  availeth  much."  Another  wrote, 
**  Whatsoever  we  ask  we  receive  of  him ;"  ''And 
this  is  the  confidence  which  we  have  in  him,  that 
whatsoever  we  ask  according  to  his  will,  he  heareth 
us."  When  I  look  at  the  new  power  which  prayer 
has  under  the  New  Testament  economy,  I  have  no 
hesitancy  in  saying  that  when  we  are  weak  and 


CHRIST  COMFORTING  HIS   DISCIPLES.  23 1 

despondent  in  life,  the  reason  is  we  are  prayer- 
less. 

3.  Fill  life  with  large  anticipations  of  heaven,  if 
you  would  ennoble  it  and  make  it  replete  with  comfort. 

You  can  readily  see  what  heaven  does  when  it 
is  put  into  a  man's  life.  It  gives  grand  ideals.  It 
makes  him  dissatisfied  with  the  low  and  carnal. 
It  keeps  before  him  his  true  home.  It  emphasizes 
his  pilgrim  character  here  on  earth.  Such  empha- 
sis is  beneficial  in  that  it  secures  the  right  use  of 
the  world.  It  subordinates  the  world  to  the  soul. 
It  feeds  the  imagination  and  consecrates  it  to  God. 
It  floods  the  earthly  life  with  rays  of  glory  and  joy, 
and  these  rays  brighten  life,  just  as  the  natural 
sun-rays  give  the  fields  their  brilliant  flowers  and 
the  cloud-land  its  mountains  of  crimson  and  gold. 

When  a  man  takes  a  firm  grip  upon  heaven  ;  or 
rather,  when  heaven  takes  a  grip  upon  a  man,  two 
things  are  the  result.  First,  the  man  tries  to  bring 
heaven  down  to  earth  and  aims  at  cultivating  the 
heaven-spirit.  He  brings  to  earth  heaven's  wor- 
ship, heaven's  purity,  heaven's  communion,  and 
heaven's  harmony  with  the  will  of  God.  Second, 
the  man  tries  to  become  meet  for  heaven.  There 
must  be  a  preparation  of  the  saint  for  heaven  as 
well  as  a  preparation  of  heaven  for  the  saint.  He 
aims  at  building  up  a  character  which  he  can  take 
with  him  into  the  uncreated  presence  of  God. 
This,  as  any  one  can  see,  ennobles  the  present  life 
and  fills  it  with  comfort.  Eliminate  from  this  life 
the  views  of  heaven  and  of  eternity  which  Christ 
gives  his  people,  and  that  moment  you  make  life 


232  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

narrow  and  selfish  and  sordid  and  carnal.  That 
moment  you  bury  the  noblest  faculties  of  man, 
and  -make  the  animal  nature  the  coffin  of  the 
spiritual  nature. 

Do  you  ask  me,  What  is  there  in  my  look  heav- 
enward that  sustains  me  in  life  and  gives  purity 
and  joy  ?  I  answer,  The  beauty  and  grandeur  of 
heaven  charm  me.  That  beauty  is  so  superlative 
that  it  cannot  be  pictured.  Human  language  has 
not  yet  framed  the  words  or  built  up  the  analogies 
necessary.  The  fellowships  of  heaven  charm  me. 
These  in  themselves  would  be  enough,  if  heaven 
as  a  place  were  as  ugly  as  sin.  Fellowships  are 
away  beyond  place.  It  is  the  presence  of  the  king 
that  makes  a  place  the  palace ;  and  it  is  the  pres- 
ence of  friends  that  makes  the  place  a  home.  I 
receive  joy  from  the  anticipation  of  heaven,  be- 
cause I  shall  meet  there  those  whom  I  love,  and  I 
shall  see  face  to  face  there  Christ  whom  I  worship. 

The  perfection  of  the  human  in  heaven  into 
which  I  shall  be  introduced  charms  me.  This  to 
me  is  the  charm  of  all  charms,  viz.,  realizing  in 
myself  God's  perfect  ideal  for  the  immortal  soul, 
reaching  the  climaxes  of  possibilities  and  bound- 
ing out  into  infinite  progress.  But  what  is  it  to 
realize  God's  ideal  ?  It  is  to  become  the  moral  fac- 
simile of  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  way  John  puts 
it :  "  Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God :  but  it 
doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be :  but  when 
he  who  is  our  life  shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like 
him,  for  we  shall  see  him  as  he  is."  The  grandest 
thing  that  I  can  see  in  looking  heavenward  is  like- 


CHRIST  COMFORTING  HIS  DISCIPLES.  233 

ness  to  Jesus  Christ,  sharing  with  him  his  perfect 
humanity  and  his  communicable  attributes  as  God. 
If  there  be  anything  beyond  this,  what  is  it  ?  The 
friends  of  Rowland  Hill  stood  around  that  eminent 
minister  of  God,  as  he  was  on  his  death-bed,  and 
repeated  to  him  for  his  comfort  the  things  pertain- 
ing to  Christ's  divine  sonship.  They  closed  by 
telling  him  that  he  would  soon  see  Jesus.  The 
good  man  responded,  ''  Brethren,  that  is  not  all ; 
that  is  only  the  least  thing,  seeing  Jesus  :  I  shall 
be  like  him,  pure  as  he  is  pure."  Likeness  in 
purity  to  Jesus  Christ,  that  is  the  chief  thing.  You 
may  tell  the  dying  saint  of  the  goodly  mansions, 
built  on  the  streets  of  gold,  beneath  the  branches 
of  the  tree  of  life,  and  close  by  the  banks  of  the 
river  of  life.  You  may  tell  him  of  thrones  and 
crowns  and  palms  and  sceptres  and  robes  and 
harps  and  celestial  whiteness :  but  these  splendors 
are  all  outside  of  himself.  If  you  would  fill  a  dying 
saint  with  rapture,  tell  him  that  he  will  resemble 
his  Lord,  and  that  all  the  deformities  and  scars  of 
sin  will  pass  away,  and  that  he  will  live  for  ever  in 
the  stately  beauty  of  holiness.  Tell  him  this,  and 
you  magnify  the  power  of  heaven  a  thousand-fold. 
This  is  the  great  fact  upon  which  to  ring  the 
changes:  heaven,  that  city  of  mansions  and  of 
pearly  gates  and  of  golden  streets  and  of  jasper 
walls,  heaven,  that  glorious  capital  of  the  skies, 
is  matched  in  its  glory  and  its  beauty  by  the  glory 
and  the  beauty  of  its  eternal  citizens,  who  are  all 
the  sons  of  God  and  who  all  resemble  God. 


234  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

CHRIST  THE  TRUE  VINE. 

"I  AM  THE  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches."— /oAw  15:5. 

Jesus,  the  great  Teacher,  spake  as  raan  never 
spake.  It  is  refreshing  to  hear  him  talk  upon  his 
wonderful  themes.  By  him  the  water  of  ordinary 
speech  was  turned  into  wine.  By  his  chaste  words 
and  thrilling  similes  and  vivid  pictures  truth  was 
made  to  live,  heaven  was  brought  down  to  earth, 
doors  were  opened  into  the  far-away  future,  and 
golden  visions  were  thrown  into  the  darkened 
mind  as  the  sunburst  of  the  morning  is  thrown 
into  night. 

As  we  read  the  conversations  of  Jesus,  so  full 
of  magnificent  conceptions,  and  picture  out  to  our- 
selves tender  scenes  like  the  one  before  us,  there 
is  a  voice  within  us  which  whispers,  ''  Oh  to  have 
been  one  of  the  company  which  gathered  around 
him !"  To  the  wish  we  answer  at  first  thought, 
•*Yes;"  but  to  it  we  answer  at  second  thought, 
**  No."  We  have  advantages  beyond  his  first  dis- 
ciples who  looked  into  his  face  and  listened  to  the 
great  thoughts  and  facts  uttered  by  his  physical 
voice.  These  facts  and  thoughts  were  to  them  as 
unsolved  problems.  They  were  things  to  be 
wrought  out  by  a  testing  experience.  They  were 
in  marked  contrast  with  the  surroundings  of  Christ. 
His  claims  and  his  circumstances  clashed.  Such  is 
not  the  case  now.    The  problems  have  been  solved. 


CHRIST  THE  TRUE  VINE.  235 

Christ's  claims  have  all  been  tested  and  proved. 
His  great  thoughts  and  facts  have  grown  greater. 
The  world  sees  him  now  as  he  saw  himself  eigh- 
teen hundred  years  ago.  Back  in  the  centuries  he 
said,  "  I  am  the  light  of  the  world,"  and  the  Phari- 
sees laughed  and  the  scribes  passed  his  saying 
around  as  a  jest.  How  does  that  claim  of  his  ap- 
pear to-day  ?  Look  on  the  map  of  the  world  and 
you  will  get  a  reply.  Christlessness  in  this  nine- 
teenth century  means  dark  continents,  but  Christ 
and  Christian  churches  mean  lands  of  light.  Back 
in  the  centuries  Christ  said  to  his  disciples,  "  I  am 
the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches,"  and  his  disciples 
wondered  what  he  could  mean.  But  look  at  that 
saying  now !  It  has  been  explained  by  centuries 
of  Christian  faith  and  Christian  oneness  of  be- 
lievers with  Christ,  and  by  the  Christlike  lives  of 
his  followers. 

Allow  me  an  illustration.  The  unseemly  bulb, 
which  has  in  it  unseen  symmetry  of  form  and 
beauty  of  color  and  unrealized  delights  of  fra- 
grance, says,  *'  I  am  the  beauty  of  the  garden.  I 
can  thrill  you  with  my  fragrance;  prize  me  and 
esteem  me."  Unaccustomed  to  bulbs  and  unable 
to  understand  it,  it  appears  to  you  to  be  nothing 
more  than  a  poor  haggard  old  root.  You  read 
very  little  into  its  words  and  promises.  But  let  it 
be  put  into  the  grim  earth ;  give  it  the  seasons ; 
let  sun  and  soil  and  dew  test  its  powers  and  claims. 
Stand  before  it  when  it  reaches  its  development, 
when  its  flowers  exhale  its  incense.  See  it  just 
as  it  saw  itself  when  it  claimed  to  be  the  beauty  of 


236  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  garden.  Now  you  read  something  into  its 
words  and  now  you  appreciate  it.  Men  eighteen 
hundred  years  ago,  in  dealing  with  Jesus  Christ, 
were  dealing  with  the  bulb,  the  root  out  of  dry 
ground.  We  to-day,  in  dealing  with  Jesus  Christ, 
are  dealing  with  the  flower  in  its  beauty  and  sym- 
metry, waving  in  the  sunlight  as  a  golden  censer. 
The  ages  have  taken  up  the  words  of  Christ  and 
have  emphasized  them  and  expounded  them  and 
verified  them  and  illustrated  them.  To  go  no  fur- 
ther than  our  text,  we  can  understand  its  words 
better  and  accept  them  more  readily  because  of 
the  lives  which  have  been  lived  by  faith  in  Christ. 
When  we  put  Christ  and  John  together,  Christ 
and  Peter  together,  Christ  and  Augustine  together, 
Christ  and  Calvin  together,  Christ  and  Luther  to- 
gether, Christ  and  Knox  together,  we  see  great 
beauty  and  meaning  and  comfort  in  the  words,  "  I 
am  the  Vine,  ye  are  the  branches."  Christ  lived 
in  these  men  and  they  owed  all  to  him.  Christ 
was  the  vine  and  they  were  the  branches. 

I.   THERE  IS  A   REAL   UNION   BETWEEN  CHRIST  THE 
VINE  AND   CHRISTIANS   THE   BRANCHES. 

Such  is  the  unity  between  the  vine  and  the 
branch  that  you  destroy  the  symmetry  of  both  if 
you  break  the  unity.  The  vine  is  wounded  and 
scarred,  and  so  is  the  branch.  Nature  meant  them 
to  be  one.  Nature  made  them  one.  They  both 
live  to  keep  the  unity.  They  both  fight  the  storm 
which  would  sever  them.  So  real  and  palpable  is 
the  union  between  the  vine  and  the  branches  that 


CHRIST  THE  TRUE   VINE.  237 

it  is  absurd  to  try  to  prove  it.  It  needs  no  proof ; 
you  see  it.  That  constitutes  the  beauty  and 
strength  of  this  simile. 

To  the  believer  Christ  says,  There  is  a  real 
union  between  you  and  me.  As  the  materials  in 
the  vine  are  united,  so  our  spiritual  natures  are 
united.  The  reality  of  the  union  is  the  point  which 
we  press  now,  not  the  similarity.  There  is  a  dis- 
similarity, because  material  and  spiritual  things 
are  dissimilar.  For  example,  in  order  for  union  in 
material  things,  nearness  or  contiguity  is  required. 
For  a  united  temple,  stone  must  rest  upon  stone 
from  the  foundation  to  the  pinnacle.  But  near- 
ness or  contiguity  is  no  element  in  spiritual  union. 
You  are  one  with  an  absent  friend,  although  you 
are  in  New  York  and  he  is  in  London.  You  hold 
fellowship  with  him  and  feel  the  beating  of  his 
love.  Thus  we  even  commune  with  friends  who 
are  dead.  You  are  on  earth,  Christ  is  in  heaven  ; 
but  faith  pictures  Christ,  gives  him  a  living  form, 
and  brings  him  into  the  soul. 

Most  strikingly  is  the  reality  of  the  union  be- 
tween Christ  and  the  believer  set  forth  in  actual 
life  by  the  Bible.  It  is  set  forth  in  the  sensitive- 
ness of  Christ  to  the  feelings  and  the  experiences 
of  his  people,  and  by  the  consciousness  of  his  near- 
ness which  his  people  have  at  all  times,  but  espe- 
cially in  the  tim^es  of  need.  Illustrative  examples 
crowd  the  mind.  The  Christians  are  persecuted 
by  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  Christ  in  heaven  thrills 
with  their  woes,  speeds  from  the  throne  to  the 
gates  of  heaven,  and  cries  to  the  persecutor  in  his 


238  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

madness,  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me!" 
You  feel  the  indignity  heaped  upon  your  friend, 
the  slander  uttered  against  him,  the  accident  which 
befalls  him,  because  you  are  one  with  him.  The 
union  between  him  and  you  is  so  real,  although  of 
a  spiritual  character,  that  you  account  the  indigni- 
ties and  wrongs  done  to  him  as  though  they  were 
done  to  you.  Thus  it  is  with  Christ  and  his.  The 
feelings  which  thrill  through  him  in  heaven  be- 
cause of  the  treatment  of  his  people  on  earth  prove 
it.  He  who  touches  the  saint  touches  the  apple 
of  His  eye. 

II.    THERE  IS   ONENESS    OF   LIFE    BETWEEN  CHRIST 
THE  VINE  AND   CHRISTIANS   THE   BRANCHES. 

The  very  life  that  courses  in  the  vine  courses 
through  the  branches.  It  throbs  in  every  tendril 
and  in  the  smallest  fibre  of  the  utmost  leaf.  It 
animates  every  atom  and  particle. 

This  is  exactly  what  is  true  in  the  spiritual 
union  between  Christ  and  Christians.  Paul  asserts 
it  in  this  fragment  of  a  sentence,  "  Christ  is  our 
life."  Christ  himself  declares  it  in  this  brief  but 
full  promise,  "  Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also." 
The  same  great  fact  was  presented  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, where  God  said  of  his  people,  "  I  will  dwell 
in  them  and  walk  in  them."  John,  the  disciple  of 
love,  sets  it  forth.  He  says,  ''In  Him  dwelleth  all 
fulness,  and  of  his  fulness  have  we  received  and 
grace  for  grace."  Peter  also  adds  his  voice,  '*  We 
are  made  partakers  of  the  divine  nature."  From 
these  and  other  Scriptures  which  the  simile  of 


CHRIST   THE   TRUE   VINE.  239 

Christ  embodies  we  are  made  to  feel  that  we  are 
dependent  on  Christ  for  our  spiritual  life,  and  that 
he  is  inexhaustible  as  a  supply.  In  our  relation  to 
him  we  are  like  the  earth  in  its  relation  to  the  sun. 
The  sun  may  be  distant  92,000,000  miles,  yet  from 
it  our  earth  receives  its  heat  and  light  and  beauty 
and  vegetative  power.  Christ  may  be  in  heaven, 
but  he  sustains  our  life  on  earth. 

When  we  talk  of  Christ  dwelling  in  his  people 
we  are  not  talking  of  a  fancy  or  affection.  There 
is  mystery  about  it,  true,  but  then  it  is  a  fact  which 
can  be  dealt  with  and  seen  and  accepted.  There 
are  many  mysteries  with  which  we  deal  and  which 
we  accept  and  use.  Life  is  a  mystery,  yet  we  deal 
with  it  and  accept  it.  A  noted  scholar  has  said, 
"  The  word  life  wanders  through  science  to-day 
without  a  definition."  The  difficulties  and  mys- 
teries of  religion  are  nothing  more  or  less  than  the 
difficulties  and  mysteries  of  nature.  Point  out  a 
difficulty  in  religion,  and  a  corresponding  difficulty 
in  nature  can  be  pointed  out.  It  is  not  a  fancy  to 
say  that  one  spirit  dwells  in  and  lives  in  and 
through  another.  It  is  a  fact  v/ith  which  we  are 
acquainted.  We  familiarly  talk  about  it.  We  ad- 
mit that  the  demon  lives  in  and  through  the  demon- 
possessed.  We  talk  of  the  general  living  in  his 
army.  He  has  the  power  of  piercing  the  souls  of 
his  soldiers  by  his  enthusiasm  and  courage.  His 
daring  bums  in  them.  It  finds  its  outcome  in  the 
rally  and  in  the  fearless  charge  upon  the  field. 
The  scholar  who  is  enwrapped  with  his  teacher 
opens  his  nature  to  that  teacher,  and  that  teacher 


240  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

enters  into  him.  The  scholar  becomes  the  anima- 
ted image  of  that  teacher.  The  teacher's  ideas 
are  in  him,  the  teacher's  mental  habits,  sympa- 
thies, loves,  character.  The  teacher  lifts  him  up 
to  himself,  and  so  far  as  the  scholar  has  capacity 
to  receive  he  makes  him  one  with  him  ;  he  makes 
him  his  equal.  He  transfigures  him  until  there  is 
but  little  of  the  old  self  in  him.  The  poet  put  our 
thought  in  a  way  that  we  can  see  it : 

*'  The  tidal-wave  of  deeper  souls 
Into  our  inmost  being  rolls, 
And  lifts  us  unawares 
Out  of  all  meaner  cares." 

III.  THERE  IS  A  ONENESS  OF  MANIFESTATION  OR 
FRUITAGE  UPON  THE  PART  OF  THE  LIFE  WHICH 
IS  IN  CHRIST  THE  VINE  AND  CHRISTIANS  THE 
BRANCHES. 

In  nature  we  see  that  the  life  which  is  in  the 
vine,  and  which  passes  into  the  branches,  works 
itself  out  and  embodies  itself  in  fruit.  There  it  is 
in  the  rich  purple  clusters.  The  fruit  is  not  of 
two  kinds,  one  of  the  vine  and  another  of  the 
branch ;  the  fruit  is  one,  and  it  embodies  the  one 
life. 

Christ  in  the  believer  seeks  an  ou-tcome  in  life. 
The  man  who  is  Christ-full  abounds  in  the  fruits 
of  the  Spirit.  Christ,  wherever  he  is,  must  be  ac- 
tive. He  must  be  putting  himself  and  his  ener- 
gies into  holy  and  loving  deeds.  Look  at  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  as  you  see  him  in  the  days  of  his  flesh ! 
Could  you  have  surpassed  the  life  which  he  lived 


CHRIST   THE   TRUE   VINE.  24I 

then  ?  No.  He  lived  it  as  the  absolute  necessity 
of  his  attributes.  His  nature  was  irrepressible.  It 
embodied  itself  in  teaching  and  in  deeds  of  kind- 
ness and  in  extended  sympathies  and  in  journeys 
of  mercy.  It  was  necessary  for  him  to  live  as  he 
did  and  to  build  up  the  character  which  he  did. 
When  the  suffering  woman  touched  him,  virtue  to 
heal  leaped  from  him  unbidden.  It  would  have 
required  a  miracle  to  have  made  it  act  otherwise ; 
thus  spontaneous  was  the  whole  of  Christ's  grand 
and  perfect  life.  Now  our  point  is  this :  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  is  the  Jesus  v/ho  is  the  believer.  In  the 
believer  he  must,  according  to  the  impulses  of  his 
nature,  reproduce  his  earth-life  and  continue  to  do 
the  deeds  of  Judaea.  He  must  live  in  his  people 
as  he  lived  in  his  own  humanity.  When  Christ 
lives  in  Paul,  then  Paul  preaches  and  sacrifices 
and  weeps  over  sinners.  It  was  the  yearning 
Christ  in  Paul  that  exclaimed,  ''Woe  is  me  if  I 
preach  not  the  gospel."  It  was  Christ  in  Paul  who 
wept  over  the  carnality  of  men.  What  we  want 
to  mark  is  tJie  oneness  of  the  fruit  produced  through 
the  branch  Paul  united  to  the  Vine  Christ.  Paul 
recognized  it.  Christ  and  Paul  worked  together, 
and  there  was  no  dividing  and  separating  Christ 
and  Paul  in  the  labors  which  resulted  from  this 
union.  No  one  could  say.  This  much  is  Paul  and 
that  much  is  Christ.  Christ  lived  in  and  through 
Paul  in  a  way  not  to  be  divided  from  Paul.  "  I 
live,"  says  Paul,  and  then  he  adds,  "  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  who  liveth  in  me."  The  life  in  the  fruit  is 
one  and   indivisible.     It   is  the  Christ-life.     The 

Studies  In  John's  Gospel.  I  \ 


242  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

light  which  comes  from  the  sun  and  the  light  re- 
flected by  the  moon  is  one  and  the  same  light. 
The  call  uttered  by  the  living  voice  and  given 
back  in  an  echo  by  the  forest  is  one  call.  It  would 
be  absurd  for  the  plant  to  ask  the  gardener,  How 
much  of  this  f iniit  is  I  and  how  much  soil  and  dew  ? 
I  imagine  some  one  says,  If  this  be  the  case, 
then  we  might  as  well  have  been  made  alike,  the 
fac-similes  of  one  another ;  for  when  Christ  takes 
hold  of  us  and  lives  in  and  through  us  we  lose  our 
individuality.  No,  we  do  not.  Christ  lives  through 
our  individuality.  The  organ  does  not  lose  its  in- 
dividuality when  the  master  musician  pours  his 
music  through  it ;  neither  does  the  cornet  nor  the 
flute.  The  same  composition  is  rendered  through 
each  by  the  same  musician,  and  each  holds  its  in- 
dividuality. So  John  is  John,  and  Paul  is  Paul, 
and  Jam^es  is  James,  and  Thomas  is  Thomas,  and 
Christ  lives  in  them  all.  An  enterprising  bot-\ 
anist  cultivated  a  rosebush  into  which  he  grafted  / 
twenty  varieties  of  exquisite  flowers.  The  bush 
was  full  of  beauty.  There  were  all  gradations 
of  form  and  color  there  thriving  on  one  stem. 
Viewed  apart,  each  rose  was  fair  and  fragrant  and 
carried  its  own  individuality.  Taken  together  the 
bush  was  matchless,  filling  the  atmosphere  with 
fragrance.  This  is  the  type  of  the  church,  which  is 
being  wrought  into  a  glorious  transcript  of  Christ. 
Every  member  is  beautiful  with  Christ's  beauty 
and  embodying  in  real  life  Christ's  communicable 
attributes ;  but  at  the  same  time  every  member 
retains  his  own  individualit}^ 


CHRIST   THE   TRUE  VINE.  243 

From  our  study  of  this  simile  of  Christ,  which 
sets  forth  the  vital  relation  between  him  and 
Christians,  there  are  two  lessons  which  we  ought 
to  take  with  us : 

I .  Christ  can  make  its  magvificent  and  grand. 

He  can  do  for  us  what  the  vine  does  for  the 
branch.  He  can  make  us  like  himself.  Is  there 
anything  possible  to  humanity  beyond  likeness  to 
Christ  ?  Is  there  anything  that  can  satisfy  so  com- 
pletely our  highest  ideals  and  yearnings  and  in- 
stincts ? 

When  we  look  on  into  the  future,  likeness  to 
Christ  is  our  highest  conception.  Take  for  exam- 
ple the  future  of  these  bodies  of  ours !  We  won- 
der what  they  shall  be.  We  hope  for  grand  things 
concerning  them — incorruption,  immortality,  spir- 
ituality. We  search  for  one  phrase  by  which  to 
set  forth  their  future  in  a  clear,  crisp,  definite,  and 
intelligent  way.  That  one  phrase  we  find.  And 
what  is  it  ?  It  is  this :  "  The  body  of  our  humilia- 
tion shall  be  fashioned  and  conformed  to  the  like- 
ness of  Christ's  glorious  resurrection  body."  To  be 
like  Christ  in  body  satisfies  us,  for  there  is  nothing 
beyond  and  there  is  nothing  equal  to  it.  What 
we  say  of  the  body  we  say  of  the  soul.  To  be 
made  like  Christ  is  inconceivable  grandeur.  It  is 
perfection.  Now  Christ  can  make  us  like  himself. 
He  has  so  assimilated  his  disciples  that  men  have 
taken  knowledge  that  they  have  been  with  Jesus. 
Behold  what  he  has  made  out  of  men  !  Remem- 
ber what  the  fishermen  became  when  He  took  hold 
of  them !     Remember  what  He  made  out  of  Paul ! 


244  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

These  men  are  only  types  teaching  us  what  we 
ought  to  be  and  what  we  can  be  when  Christ  is 
formed  within  us.  These  men  were  types  of  our 
capacities.  They  show  us  what  our  soul  is:  not 
a  vessel  to  be  filled ;  not  a  block  of  marble  to  be 
wrought  upon  ;  but  a  seed  endowed  with  capacities 
for  growth,  seed  capable  of  growing  into  the  pat- 
tern of  Christ,  the  archetype. 

2.  We  beco7ne  magnificent  and  grand  in  proportion 
as  we  open  otir  nature  to  Christ. 

The  branch  is  fruitful  only  as  it  takes  into  itself 
the  life  of  the  vine.  The  life  that  is  in  the  vine 
must  be  allowed  to  rush  into  the  thousand  pores 
and  veins  that  are  in  it.  Then  and  only  then  will 
the  clusters  be  abundant  and  luscious.  Branches 
widely  differ  from  branches,  and  the  differences 
are  accounted  for  by  the  degrees  of  receptivity. 
The  branches  that  receive  most  from  the  vine  bear 
the  most  fruit. 

It  is  with  Christians  as  it  is  with  branches. 
There  are  differences  in  them.  They  receive 
Christ  in  different  degrees.  Why  does  one  flower 
have  its  cup  full  of  dew,  while  its  neighbor  has 
•;  not  so  much  as  the  least  pearl  of  dew  ?  It  keeps 
its  cup  open,  while  its  neighbor  closes  its  cup. 
There  are  channels  through  which  Christ  com- 
municates himself  to  men.  These  are  prayer, 
praise,  the  Word,  the  Lord's  Supper.  As  we  use 
these  and  receive  Christ  through  these,  so  will  he 
be  in  us  to  control  us  and  to  beautify  us  with  his 
graces.  Receive  Christ  and  you  will  see  what  he 
will  make  of  you. 


THE  WORK   OF  THE   HOLY   SPIRIT.  245 

THE  WORK  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT. 

"  He  shall  glorify  MK."—/o/m  16:14. 

These  words  of  Jesus  when  expressed  in  full 
read,  "  He  the  Spirit  will  glorify  me  the  Christ." 
This  statement  starts  a  train  of  questions.  First 
among  these  questions  is,  J4^/io  is  the  Spirit  ?  He 
is  the  third  person  of  the  glorious  Trinity.  But 
what  is  the  Tritiity  ?  This  is  the  second  question. 
The  Trinity  is  the  mode  of  God's  existence.  The 
Bible  teaches  that  there  is  but  one  God,  and  that 
this  one  God  subsists  in  three  persons. 

The  Westminster  divines  thus  state  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Scripture :  "  There  are  three  persons  in 
the  Godhead,  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  these  three  are  one  God,  the  same  in 
substance  and  equal  in  power  and  glory."  That 
this  statement  is  scriptural  there  can  be  no  doubt. 
The  baptismal  formula  shows  it  and  so  does  the 
apostolic  benediction.  But  scriptural  as  it  is,  it 
deals  with  deep  things,  and  we  cannot  understand 
it.  We  cannot  make  it  plain  to  our  minds  that 
three  subsist  in  one.  Just  here  comiCS  in  the  next 
question.  Are  zve  expected  to  believe  and  use  what  we 
cannot  understand?  The  answer  is,  You  do  so  in 
other  spheres,  and  why  not  in  this  sphere?  If 
you  believe  and  use  only  the  things  which  you 
understand,  you  will  believe  and  use  very  few 
things.     The  things  understood  are  infinitesimal 


246  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

in  number  in  comparison  with  the  things  not  un- 
derstood. The  commonest  things  about  us  are 
unexplained  and  unexplainable.  There  is  the 
beautiful  flower!  Are  you  not  going  to  use  that? 
You  do  not  understand  its  construction,  how  it  has 
been  woven  with  exact  skill,  how  every  flower  on 
the  one  plant  is  woven  after  a  pattern  and  with 
the  same  colors,  as  though  there  were  a  presiding 
genius  at  every  loom,  how  the  tints  are  blended 
together  in  perfection  and  according  to  the  high- 
est taste.  There  may  be  a  mis-matching  of  colors 
in  a  woman's  bonnet,  but  there  is  no  mis-matching 
of  colors  in  the  wardrobe  of  nature.  Are  you 
going  to  admit  into  your  life  only  that  which  you 
can  understand  and  explain  ?  Then  you  are  going 
to  annihilate  the  science  of  horticulture  and  keep 
the  flowers  out  of  your  life.  You  cannot  under- 
stand the  growth  of  the  golden  grain,  the  staff  of 
life,  any  more  than  you  can  understand  the  growth 
of  flowers.  Are  you  going  to  veto  the  golden 
grain  and  keep  it  out  of  your  life  ?  We  will  be- 
lieve and  use  only  what  we  can  understand  !  The 
rule  is  not  a  good  one  in  any  department  of  life. 

Just  here  comes  in  another  question,  and  it  is 
the  leading  question.  It  is  this :  "  How  would  you 
have  us  deal  with  the  Trinity  so  that  it  may  be- 
come a  reality  to  us  and  so  that  we  may  use  it?" 
I  would  have  you  deal  with  it  practically,  for  this 
is  the  way  the  Word  of  God  presents  it.  There 
are  two  ways  of  knowing  a  thing :  we  can  know  it 
philosophically  or  we  can  know  it  practically.  A 
practical  study  calls  us  to  deal  with  effects ;  a  phil- 


THE  WORK   OF   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT.  247 

osophical  study  calls  us  to  deal  with  causes  and 
essences.  The  philosophical  study  of  a  thing  re- 
quires upon  our  part  the  knowledge  of  as  much 
philosophy  as  is  incorporated  into  the  thing  to  be 
studied.  To  know  God  philosophically  we  would 
have  to  possess  a  mind  equal  to  God's.  It  takes  a 
God  to  understand  a  God.  Hence  it  is  that  the 
Bible  never  tries  to  explain  the  Trinity  and  never 
philosophizes  upon  God's  mode  of  existence. 
There  is  a  God-side  from  which  to  look  at  the 
Trinity,  and  there  is  a  man-side.  The  Bible  tells 
us  to  look  at  it  from  the  man-side,  i.  e.,  to  deal 
with  the  effects  which  come  from  the  existence 
and  operation  of  the  Trinity.  What  the  flower 
does  makes  the  flower  real  to  us.  Even  a  blind 
man  can  tell  it.  It  freights  the  air  with  perfume, 
and  he  knows  it  by  its  fragrance  which  shoots 
through  him  and  gives  him  pleasure.  What  the 
Trinity  does  makes  the  Trinity  real  to  us.  As 
each  flower  has  its  separate  perfume,  so  each  per- 
son of  the  Trinity  has  his  separate  attitude  and 
work,  and  when  these  are  realized  they  become  so 
distinct  that  they  cannot  be  mixed.  We  should 
deal  with  these  until  we  get  them  distinctly  before 
us.  When  we  do  the  Trinity  will  be  a  reality. 
We  should  deal  with  the  Trinity  practically  and 
not  philosophically. 

What  perfume  does  the  flower  manufacture? 
That  is  the  question.  What  work  does  each  per- 
son of  the  Godhead  do?  That  is  the  question. 
What  attitude  does  each  hold  to  us  ?  If  each  Per- 
son assumes  an  attitude  and  does  a  work,  then  we 


248  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

know  that  there  are  as  many  Persons  as  there  are 
attitudes  and  works.  The  First  Person  assumes 
the  attitude  of  Father  and  Designer,  the  Second 
Person  assumes  the  attitude  of  Brother  and  Ex- 
ecutor, the  Third  Person  assumes  the  attitude  of 
Animater  and  Applier.  These  are  all  separate 
attitudes  and  works,  and  they  give  vividness  to 
the  personality  and  existence  of  the  Three  in  One. 
The  Bible  calls  us  to  dwell  upon  these,  and  that  is 
the  way  it  treats  the  Trinity. 

It  is  the  aim  of  Christ  in  this  Scripture  to  make 
the  Spirit  real  by  setting  forth  his  work  and  em- 
phasizing its  incalculable  importance.  He  sums 
up  the  Spirit's  work  and  the  object  of  his  reign  on 
earth  in  one  single  phrase,  ''  He  shall  glorify  me." 
There  is  something  then  in  Christ  to  look  upon 
besides  a  cross  :  there  is  a  glory.  When  the  Spirit 
comforts,  when  he  convicts  of  sin,  when  he  ex- 
hibits the  truth  of  the  kingdom,  when  he  sanctifies 
the  immortal  soul,  he  glorifies  Christ.  He  does 
all  that  he  does  by  using  Christ  and  the  things  of 
Christ.  He  comforts  by  unrolling  the  promises 
of  Christ.  He  convicts  of  sin  by  bringing  the 
sinner  into  contrast  with  the  perfect,  holy,  and 
condemning  life  of  Christ,  and  by  lifting  it  up  as 
the  rule  of  conduct.  He  sanctifies  the  immortal 
soul  by  forming  within  it  Christ  the  hope  of  glory. 
Whatever  the  Spirit  does  centres  in  some  form  in 
Christ.  It  is  his  office-work  to  act  as  Christ's  vice- 
gerent, and  to  apply  to  men  Christ  and  his  bene- 
fits. All  subjective  work  in  our  redemption  has 
been  committed  to  Him. 


THE  WORK   OF  THE   HOLY   SPIRIT.  249 

As  the  work  of  the  Spirit  is  summed  up  in 
this  phrase  of  Christ,  "  He  shall  glorify  Me,"  we 
propose  in  this  study  to  examine  some  of  the  ways 
in  which  the  Spirit  glorifies  Christ. 

I.      THE  SPIRIT  GLORIFIES   CHRIST  BY  VINDICATING 
HIS   CLAIMS. 

To  do  this  is  a  most  important  thing.  But  we 
expect  important  things  from  the  coming  of  the 
Spirit.  Our  expectations  are  based  upon  the  pre- 
dictions of  prophecy  which  foretold  the  coming  of 
the  reign  of  the  Spirit,  and  also  from  the  emphasis 
which  Christ  gave  to  his  coming.  He  said  that 
the  Spirit's  coming  would  be  the  enduement  of 
the  disciples  with  power.  He  said  that  the  coming 
of  the  Spirit  would  be  a  grand  and  beneficial  ex- 
change for  his  own  going.  Better  the  Spirit's 
presence  than  Christ's  physical  presence.  "It  is 
expedient  that  I  go  away  and  that  the  Spirit 
come."  If  this  be  so,  there  must  be  some  grand 
outcome  from  the  presence  of  the  Spirit.  There 
is  such  an  outcome:  The  presence  of  the  Spirit 
establishes  the  claims  of  Christ. 

Christ  made   great   claims   for   himself.      He 

claimed  to  be  the  Son  of  God.     He  claimed  that 

he  was  going  to  dwell  in  heaven  amid  the  glory 

of  the  Father.     He  claimed  that  while  there  he 

would  work  for  the  interests  of  his  people,  and  by- 

and-by  would  come  and  receive  them  to  himself  to 

share  his  risen  life  and  glory.     But  how  are  these 

great  claims  to  be  established?      How  shall  the 

disciples  know  that  he  lives  in  heaven,  and  that 
II* 


250  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

the  Father  has  accepted  of  his  sacrifice  as  their 
suret}^,  and  that  he  is  working  in  glory  for  them 
and  getting  ready  to  come  ?  Jesus  gives  them  a 
test.  It  is  a  severe  test.  He  says  that  he  will 
send  the  Almighty  Spirit,  who  will  come  and  fill 
them  with  divine  power  and  who  will  do  divine 
works  through  them.  That  test  could  not  stand 
if  Jesus  were  not  what  he  claimed  to  be.  If  he 
were  an  impostor,  he  could  have  no  control  over 
the  Almighty  Spirit.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  impostors.  Thus  the  disciples  rea- 
soned ;  so  they  accepted  the  test. 

Was  the  test  made  good  ?  Yes.  On  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  according  to  the  promise  of  Christ,  the 
Spirit  came  amid  great  wonders  and  filled  the 
disciples  and  gave  them  wonderful  gifts.  To 
prove  to  the  world  that  he  was  in  the  disciples  of 
Jesus,  and  that  they  were  the  people  of  God,  and 
their  cause  was  of  heaven,  he  wrought  divine  mir- 
acles through  them  which  no  one  could  gainsay. 
These  miracles  continued  to  be  wrought  until  the 
Spirit  established  the  fact  of  his  reign  on  earth. 

What  have  we  to  say  of  these  things  which 
sound  so  marvellous  and  strange  ?  We  have  this 
to  say :  If  Pentecost  be  a  fact  in  history,  it  is  one 
of  the  most  marvellous  of  days;  for  it  not  only 
brings  a  grand  power  into  the  Church  of  God,  but 
it  brings  also  the  proof  and  demonstration  of 
Christ's  great  claims.  He  is  the  Son  of  God,  as 
he  said  he  was.  He  is  in  glory,  our  accepted  sac- 
rifice, our  risen  and  interceding  Saviour,  as  he 
said  he  would  be.     The  great  and  marvellous  test 


THE  WORK   OF   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT.  2$  I 

which  Christ  set  up  was  verified.  This  is  simply 
a  plain  statement  of  facts.  This  is  the  way  the 
early  disciples  looked  at  things.  They  raised  the 
cry  in  their  day,  ''  Jesus  is  glorified,  for  the  Spirit 
has  been  given."  There  is  abundant  Scripture  to 
show  this.  Peter,  and  John,  in  declaring  Christ 
and  his  resurrection  to  the  Sanhedrin,  said,  "  We 
are  witnesses  to  these  things,  and  so  is  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Paul,  in  summing  up  the  facts  of  the 
Christian  religion,  says,  ^'  Great  is  the  mystery  of 
godliness,  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified  in 
the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles, believed  on  in  the  world,  and  received  up 
into  glory."  The  only  phrase  in  his  summary  per- 
tinent to  our  purpose  is  this :  "  He  was  justified  in 
the  Spirit,"  or  literally  translated,  "  He  was  vindi- 
cated by  the  Spirit."  This  is  our  point  exactly. 
Cl^rist  was  vindicated  in  all  his  holy  claims  by  the 
Spirit,  who  came  according  to  his  promise,  and 
who  to-day  carries  forward  his  work  on  earth.  If 
there  were  no  risen  and  exalted  and  glorified  and 
ruling  Christ,  there  would  be  no  Almighty,  all- 
present  Spirit  comforting  and  sanctifying  and 
guiding  believers  and  assimilating  them  to  the 
glorious  likeness  of  Christ. 

II.  THE  SPIRIT  GLORIFIES  CHRIST  BY  SETTING 
FORTH  HIS  PERSON  AND  WORK  IN  CLEAR  AND 
ATTRACTIVE   LIGHT. 

Jesus  said,  "  He  shall  take  the  things  which  are 
mine  and  show  them  unto  you."  I  do  not  know 
that  we  can  better  treat  this  point  than  by  looking 


252  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

at  its  exemplification  in  the  disciples  among  whom 
Jesus  spent  his  earthly  ministry.  As  we  read  the 
gospel  history  we  grow  impatient  at  their  slowness 
in  learning  of  him.  They  do  not  recognize  his 
character  or  fathom  his  sayings  or  enter  into  sym- 
pathy with  his  divine  mission.  They  had  false 
ideals,  and  they  expected  him  to  realize  these. 
They  expected  him  to  be  a  king,  but  they  de- 
graded his  kingdom  by  expecting  it  to  be  a  carnal 
kingdom.  They  never  dreamed  of  that  grand 
spiritual  kingdom  which  Jesus  set  up.  They 
never  dreamed  of  Christ  as  king  enthroned  in  the 
souls  of  men,  and  thus  ruling  their  lives.  Their 
ideas  of  him  as  a  king  were  wrong ;  their  ideas  of 
him  as  a  prophet  were  obscure ;  and  as  for  his 
priesthood,  that  was  simply  a  blank.  When  it  was 
set  before  them  it  proved  a  stumbling-block.  The 
cross  with  its  sacrifice  for  sin  was  an  offence  to 
them. 

Such  were  the  disciples  prior  to  the  advent  of 
the  Spirit.  Let  us  look  at  them  after  the  descent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  What  is  Christ  to  them  now 
that  they  enjoy  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit?  Their 
Christ  now  is  the  Christ  of  the  book  of  the  Acts 
and  of  the  Epistles  and  of  the  Apocalypse.  They 
see  in  him  all  the  grandeur  which  was  typified  in 
the  great  men  of  their  nation,  in  their  prophets 
and  priests  and  kings.  They  see  him  as  "the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person."  What  grander  pictures 
could  we  have  of  Christ  than  those  which  these 
disciples  draw  in  the  after- writings  of   the  New 


THE   WORK   OF   THE   HOLY    SPH^IT.  253 

Testament?  When  we  look  at  these  pictures, 
drawn  by  the  aid  of  the  Spirit,  we  can  appreciate 
the  work  of  glorifying  Christ  which  the  Spirit 
carries  forward  by  giving  clear  and  correct  views 
of  Christ. 

The  difference.,  between  the  views  of  Christ 
and  his  work  with  the  Spirit  and  without  the 
Spirit  may  be  illustrated  by  the  difference  be- 
tween stereopticon  views  looked  at  by  means  of 
the  electric  light  and  without  the  electric  light. 
As  you  look  at  the  simple  glass  slides,  you  cannot 
discern  the  details  of  the  pictures.  They  have  no 
beauty  or  distinctness.  But  put  the  slides  into  the 
art  lantern,  and  put  the  electric  light  behind  them 
and  let  it  throw  the  pictures  upon  the  canvas, 
and  lo !  they  glow  before  you  in  a  state  of  trans- 
figuration. Is  the  scene  a  picture  of  London? 
London  is  before  you  in  all  the  vividness  of  real- 
ity— Westminster  with  its  turrets,  St.  Paul  with 
its  dome,  the  British  Museum  with  its  massive- 
ness ;  the  Thames  flows  in  its  course  and  the 
streets  teem  with  busy  traffic.  Is  the  picture  that 
of  some  noted  piece  of  statuary  ?  The  power  of  the 
light  brings  the  statue  out  in  its  most  admired  de- 
tails, and  you  look  upon  the  masterpiece  and  get 
almost  as  true  a  conception  of  it  as  though  you 
looked  upon  its  very  self.  Christ  without  the 
illumination  of  the  vSpirit  is  like  the  stereopticon 
views  on  the  glass  slide  without  the  electric  light ; 
but  Christ  with  the  illumination  of  the  Spirit  is 
like  the  stereopticon  views  thrown  upon  the  can- 
vas  with    the   transfiguring   power  of   the   light. 


254  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

When  we  see  him  in  the  illumination  of  the  Spirit 
amid  the  glory  which  belongs  to  him,  we  join  with 
the  great  company  of  celestial  singers  introduced 
by  the  Apocalypse  and  with  them  sing,  "  Worthy 
is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power  and 
riches  and  wisdom  and  honor  and  glory  and  bless- 
mg. 

III.     THE   SPIRIT   GLORIFIES   CHRIST   BY   ENLARGING 
HIS   PRESENCE. 

So  long  as  Christ  was  on  earth  in  person  he 
was  localized.  There  was  a  limit  to  his  physical 
presence.  If  he  were  here  now  in  his  human 
nature,  he  would  be  localized ;  but  ascended  to  the 
Father  that  he  may  be  here  in  the  person  of  the 
Spirit,  who  is  his  substitute,  he  is  omnipresent. 
Were  he  here,  if  John  leaned  on  his  bosom  Peter 
could  not.  If  he  were  in  Jerusalem,  then  London 
and  New  York  and  Boston  would  have  to  do  with- 
out him.  In  his  human  nature  he  could  only  be  in 
one  place  at  one  time.  Christ  says  that  the  spirit- 
ual presence  is  better  than  the  personal,  in  view  of 
the  work  that  remains  to  be  done  in  perfecting 
saints  and  pushing  the  cross  to  its  triumph.  The 
spiritual  presence  is  universal,  the  bodily  or  per- 
sonal presence  is  local.  The  Spirit  is  omnipresent, 
and  Christ  in  the  Spirit  is  omnipresent. 

The  difference  between  the  presence  of  Christ 
in  person  and  his  presence  in  the  Spirit,  is  like  the 
difference  in  Mary's  ointment-box  whole  and  her 
ointment -box  broken.  While  whole  the  sweet 
fragrance  was  confined  to  the  box ;  but  when  the 


THE   WORK   OF   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT.  255 

box  was  broken  the  fragrance  filled  the  whole 
house.  In  the  house  it  was  omnipresent  and  all 
felt  the  sensations  which  it  gave.  Canon  Liddon 
writes,  "  It  may  seem  strange  to  say  it,  but  the 
New  Testament  does  teach  that  Christ's  spiritual 
presence  is  a  closer  and  a  more  intimate  presence 
than  the  presence  of  his  human  nature.  They 
who  came  nearest  to  Christ  when  he  was  on  earth 
but  kissed  his  feet,  lay  in  his  bosom,  were  led  by 
his  hand,  or  were  carried  in  his  arms.  This  is  im- 
measurably distant  in  comparison  with  his  dwell- 
ing in  men,  and  making  the  soul  a  temple  through 
the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  They  who 
have  the  Holy  Spirit  recognize  and  possess  Christ, 
not  as  an  external  presence  or  external  voice  or 
external  touch,  but  as  an  internal  presence,  touch, 
and  voice."  What  the  believers  wish  most  of  all 
is  to  realize  the  presence  of  Christ :  his  presence  in 
worship,  in  prayer,  in  praise,  in  the  Word,  in  the 
Lord's  Supper,  and  in  the  sway  of  the  providences. 
This  is  what  believers  do  realize,  and  they  realize 
it  at  the  same  time  in  regions  of  the  earth  far 
separated.  Why  is  this?  The  Spirit  is  every- 
where present  making  Christ  real  and  carrying 
forward  his  work. 

IV.    THE   SPIRIT  GLORIFIES   CHRIST  BY   ILLUMINING 
HIS  WORD. 

Christ  said,  "  He  shall  guide  you  into  all  truth." 
In  the  study  of  the  Word  we  need  the  Spirit  to 
shed  light.  All  the  beauties  of  inspiration  are  in 
the  Word  ;  but  we  need  spiritual  light  to  see  them. 


256  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

Before  the  tourist  on  the  mountain-top  at  mid- 
night all  the  beauties  of  the  landscape  are  stretched 
forth ;  but  he  needs  the  dawning  of  the  morning 
sun  to  make  them  clear  and  discernible. 

You  can  see  what  the  Spirit  does  with  the 
Word  in  the  life  of  Paul.  He  was  a  student  of  the 
Old  Testament,  a  disciple  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel, 
but  he  did  not  recognize  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  be  a 
fac-simile  of  the  Old  Testament  Messiah.  The 
Old  Testament  was  a  dark  book  to  him.  Such  was 
the  state  of  things  before  he  received  the  Spirit. 
Now  mark  him  after  he  receives  the  Spirit !  The 
Book  flashes  with  light.  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the 
fac-simile  of  the  Old  Testament  Messiah.  With 
the  Old  Testament  open  in  his  hand,  Paul  goes 
through  the  world  preaching  Christ. 

The  Holy  Spirit  illumines  the  Book  and  lets  us 
see  Christ  in  it,  Christ  in  the  histories  and  in  the 
prophecies  and  in  the  Gospels  and  in  the  Psalms. 
He  does  not  make  a  new  Word ;  he  does  not  add 
anything  to  Christ's  sayings ;  he  does  not  build  a 
new  temple  of  truth ;  he  enters  into  the  present 
temple,  which  is  complete,  and  illumines  it  from 
foundation  to  dome.  The  illuminating  power  of 
the  Spirit  in  relation  to  the  Word  explains  the  dif- 
ferent effect  which  the  Word  has  upon  us  at  differ- 
ent times.  Sometimes  the  grand  chapter  seems 
dull;  at  other  times  the  grand  but  old  chapter 
seems  new.  It  gives  us  new  faith,  new  hope,  new 
love,  and  new  views  of  God.  We  are  not  equally 
under  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  hence  the  same 
chapter   moves  us   differently.      Every   time  we 


THE  WORK  OF   THE   HOLY   SPIRIT.  25/ 

Open  God's  Book  we  should  look  to  heaven  for  the 
Spirit,  that  he  may  control  our  minds  and  throw- 
light  upon  the  holy  page. 

V.  THE  SPIRIT  GLORIFIES  CHRIST  BY  BEAUTIFYING 
AND  PERFECTING  THE  CHURCH,  WHICH  IS  THE 
BODY   OF   CHRIST. 

We  do  not  now  refer  to  the  work  which  the 
Spirit  does  in  the  individual  saint,  whom  he  pol- 
ishes as  a  living  stone  for  the  spiritual  temple  ;  we 
refer  to  the  work  which  the  Spirit  does  in  believ- 
ers as  combined  in  the  organism  called  the  church. 
"  Ye  are  builded  together  for  an  habitation  of  God 
through  the  Spirit."  Christ  now  lives  on  earth 
through  the  church,  which  is  Spirit-filled.  The 
Spirit  as  Christ's  representative  became  incarnate 
in  the  church  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  The  book 
of  the  Acts  shows  what  He  does  in  and  for  the 
church.  The  advances  of  the  church  are  dictated 
by  him.  He  put  his  seal  upon  the  opening  of  the 
door  of  the  Christian  Church  to  the  incoming  of 
the  Gentiles.  He  makes  known  when  old  positions 
and  customs  should  be  given  up.  The  edict  of 
abandonment  reads,  *'  It  seems  good  to  us  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  lay  upon  you,"  etc.  He  chooses  the 
workmen  of  the  church.  The  Spirit  said,  "  Sepa- 
rate me  Barnabas  and  Paul  for  the  work,"  etc.  He 
opens  new  fields.  He  sent  Paul  over  to  Europe 
when  he  would  have  gone  into  the  heart  of  Asia. 
The  Spirit  is  bringing  the  church  to  its  perfection, 
and  under  his  work  it  will  some  day  be  glorious, 
without  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing. 

Stuilles    in    Johns    Gospel. 


258  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

DUTIES. 

1.  We  should  see  Christ  as  glorified  by  the  Spirit. 
Why  ?     Because  thus  seeing  Christ  means  our 

absorption  by  Christ.  The  grander  and  truer  our 
friends  appear  to  us,  the  more  we  live  in  them, 
the  greater  influence  they  have  over  us.  Thus  it 
is  with  Christ :  the  more  glorious  he  appears  to  us, 
the  more  we  delight  in  him  and  yield  ourselves  to 
him. 

2.  We  should  yield  ourselves  to  the  Spirit  who  glori- 
fies Christ. 

The  Spirit  must  do  a  personal  work  in  us  rela- 
tive to  Christ.  Can  we  enjoy  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  and  his  influence?  We  can.  The  Spirit 
will  be  given  us  if  we  ask  for  him.  It  was  as 
Christ  prayed  at  his  baptism  that  he  received  the 
Spirit.  It  was  when  the  disciples  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost  prayed  that  they  received  the  Spirit. 


CHRIST'S  INTERCESSORY    PRAYER.  259 

CHRIST'S  INTERCESSORY  PRAYER. 

"Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes  to  heaven. "^/oAw  17:1. 

Great  events  are  hastening  into  history.  The 
last  and  most  thrilling  chapter  in  Christ's  wonder- 
ful story  is  being  put  into  type.  Jesus  looked  for- 
ward to  it  from  the  beginning  and  often  spake  of 
it.  He  became  incarnate  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  meeting  it.  He  set  it  forth  as  the  culmi- 
nating point  of  his  earthly  experience.  It  centred 
in  itself  the  destinies  of  man  and  the  grandest  ex- 
hibit of  the  glory  of  God.  Realizing  that  the 
clock  of  time  was  striking,  Jesus  lifted  up  his  eyes 
to  heaven  and  said,  "  Father,  the  hour  is  come." 
When  he  finished  his  high-priestly  prayer,  which 
he  began  thus,  dark  event  and  dark  event  struck 
him  as  thunder-bolt  and  thunder-bolt  from  the 
storm-cloud  strike  the  tempest-riven  mountain- 
peak.  The  betrayal,  the  desertion,  the  denial,  the 
scourging,  and  the  crucifixion  swept  upon  him  in 
overpowering  and  rapid  succession.  This  was  the 
hour  which  called  forth  his  high-priestly  prayer. 

the   general  CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE    PRAYER. 

I.  The  prayer  is  a  fitting  close  of  Christ's  public 
ministry. 

The  English  dramatist  has  said,  ''All's  well 
that  ends  well,"  and  there  is  much  truth  in  Shake- 


26o  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSrEL. 

speare's  saying-.  The  end  is  all  -  important.  It 
would  never  do  for  the  life  of  Elijah  to  end  under 
the  juniper-tree  ;  it  must  end  in  the  chariot  of  fire. 
It  would  never  do  for  the  story  of  Jesus  to  end 
with  the  sealed  tomb ;  it  must  end  with  the  ascen- 
sion amid  the  hymning  angels,  and  with  the  en- 
thronement amid  the  majesty  at  the  right  hand  of 
God.  It  would  never  do  for  the  words  of  Jesus, 
the  world's  Teacher,  to  end  with  the  burning  male- 
dictions hurled  at  an  oppressing  aristocracy ;  they 
must  end  with  this  prayer  of  love,  which  carries  in 
it  the  golden  age  of  the  church  and  the  blessed 
future  of  the  world. 

The  ministry  of  Jesus  with  its  fearless  courage, 
its  heavenly  revelations,  its  Godlike  promises,  and 
its  pure  and  matchless  principles,  is  something 
sublimely  magnificent.  Can  it  be  properly  climaxed  ? 
That  is  the  question  which  we  ask  ourselves  as  we 
are  held  spell-bound  by  his  ministry.  The  inter- 
cessory prayer  is  the  answer.  It  can  be  climaxed. 
This  address  to  his  Father  in  heaven,  full  of  shi- 
ning words  of  burning  love,  is  the  climax.  It  is 
the  legitimate  outgrowth  of  his  ministry,  just  as 
the  luscious  fruit  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  life  of 
the  tree.  It  is  full  of  the  same  love  and  faith  and 
zeal.  It  sums  up  the  purposes  of  his  ministry  and 
reaches  after  the  same  gracious  ends.  It  announces 
the  same  grand  doctrines  and  sets  forth  the  same 
duties.  It  rings  out  the  same  note  of  triumph 
which  the  last  sermon  rings  out:  ''Be  of  good  cheer, 
I  have  overcome  the  world''  It  voices  precisely  the 
same  wish  which  the  cross,  the  culmination  of  his 


CHRIST'S   INTERCESSORY    PRAYER.  26 1 

ministry,  voices.  Oh  how  he  must  have  wished 
for  us,  when  he  could  die  to  bring  us  into  eternal 
and  intimate  fellowship  with  himself  ! 

His  address  to  the  Father  is  one  of  the  grand- 
est of  the  last  grand  things  in  his  earthly  life.  It 
is  fit  to  stand  next  to  and  to  companionate  with 
the  sacrifice  of  himself  upon  the  cross,  the  expres- 
sion of  his  infinite  love. 

2.  The  prayer  carries  with  it  the  appreciation  of 
all  the  subsequent  ages. 

That  to  which  all  the  ages  pay  tribute  must 
have  merit.  That  which  has  refreshed  all  genera- 
tions must  have  worth.  The  devout  worshipper 
appreciates  the  songs  of  the  church.  Why  ?  Be- 
cause they  have  been  the  spiritual  chariots  in 
which  the  adorations  of  souls  have  ridden  into  the 
highest  heaven.  Their  wheels  have  rolled  over 
the  pathway  between  earth  and  heaven  so  often 
that  they  have  cut  safe  and  guiding  tracks.  Fol- 
lowing this  same  line,  we  must  appreciate  this 
prayer  because  of  what  it  has  done  for  the  past.  If 
you  will  examine  the  Bibles  used  by  the  fathers 
who  have  gone  to  their  reward,  you  will  find  that 
the  pages  which  are  thumbed  the  most  are  the 
pages  which  record  this  prayer.  The  tear-marks 
are  here,  showing  that  m^any  a  burning  thought 
leaped  from  the  Holy  Book  and  brought  the  heart 
of  the  reader  into  a  tender  and  a  deep  response  to 
the  heart  of  the  praying  Jesus.  This  prayer  of 
the  Christ  has  been  a  fountain  of  hope  and  joy  and 
holy  ambition  in  the  Christian  Church  for  nineteen 
centuries. 


262  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

Bengel,  the  German,  writes,  "  This  chapter  is 
the  simplest  in  language  in  the  Bible,  but  it  is  the 
profoundest  in  meaning."  Melanchthon,  the  friend 
of  Luther,  writes,  "  No  voice  has  been  heard  either 
in  heaven  or  on  earth  more  exalted,  more  holy, 
more  faithful,  or  more  sublime  than  this  prayer 
offered  by  the  Son  of  God."  He  then  gives  this 
analysis  of  it :  "  Christ  prays  for  himself  and  then 
for  the  whole  church.  For  the  church  he  asks  for 
four  things :  For  the  preservation  of  doctrine,  for 
the  appreciation  of  his  sacrifice,  for  concord,  and 
for  the  investiture  of  the  church  with  life  and 
joy  and  eternal  glory."  Another  of  the  fathers 
writes,  "  It  is  the  climax  and  consummation  of 
all  of  Christ's  utterances.  It  presses  nearest 
heaven,  and  breathes  most  immediately  of  its 
mysteries.  It  is  the  Holy  of  holies  in  Scripture. 
It  is  a  specimen  of  the  communication  which  was 
kept  up  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  all 
through  the  earthly  life  of  Christ.  It  speaks  of 
all  the  profound  relationships:  the  relationship 
between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  between  Christ 
and  the  church,  and  between  the  church  and  the 
world." 

3.    T/ie  prayer  is  full  of  instructive  word  pictures. 

To  the  man  of  an  artist  mind  there  is  a  picture 
in  every  verse,  and  each  picture  is  a  profound 
study.  It  gives  us  pictures  of  the  innermost  life 
of  Christ,  pictures  of  the  Christian's  possibilities, 
pictures  of  the  eternities,  past  and  future ;  pictures 
of  divine  fellowships,  earthly  and  heavenly;  pic- 
tures of  Christian  duties  and  of  Christian  ideals, 


CHRIST'S    INTERCESSORY    PRAYER.  263 

pictures  of  God's  gifts  to  his  people ;  and  pictures 
of  the  covenant  of  grace. 

It  gives  us  a  picture  of  the  love  of  God  the  Father, 
Christ  exhibits  the  Father's  love  towards  us  in 
the  form  of  a  daring  analogy.  His  words  are, 
"Thou  hast  loved  them  as  thou  hast  loved  me." 
God's  love  for  his  Son  is  the  measure  of  his  love 
towards  us.  What  a  field  there  is  here  for  adoring 
and  grateful  thought !  What  is  God's  love  towards 
Christ  ?  It  is  a  Father's  love.  We  know  what  an 
earthly  father's  love  is.  We  see  it  in  Jacob  as  he 
parts  with  Benjamin.  We  see  it  in  the  broken- 
hearted David  as  he  laments  his  dead  Absalom. 
An  earthly  father's  love  is  such  as  melts  and 
moves  our  entire  being.  But  what  is  the  love  of 
an  earthly  father  in  comparison  with  the  love  of 
God  the  divine  Father!  What  is  the  finite  in 
comparison  with  the  infinite  ?  As  well  try  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  shore  of  the  ocean 
by  exhibiting  a  handful  of  sand,  as  well  try  to 
make  men  conceive  of  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of 
the  autumnal  forests  when  clad  in  the  robes  of 
sunset  splendor  by  exhibiting  a  few  sprays  of 
burning  leaves,  as  try  to  represent  the  love  of 
God  the  Father  by  illustrations  taken  from  an 
earthly  father's  love.  God's  love  to  us  is  infinite, 
and  he  proves  it  to  be  infinite  by  an  infinite  gift, 
the  gift  of  his  own  Son. 

What  the  world  needs  most  is  a  true  concep- 
tion of  God,  and  this  is  what  Christ  most  tries  to 
give  the  world.  His  picture  of  God  is  that  of  a 
loving  Father.     Everything  that  pertains  to  God, 


264  STUDIES    IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

his  sovereignty,  his  infinite  attributes,  are  all  en- 
throned in  his  Fatherhood.  If  men  cannot  trust 
and  love  the  God  whom  Jesus  pictures,  I  cannot 
see  why.  If  God  is  willing-  to  love  us  as  he  loves 
his  Son,  with  whom  he  has  fellowshipped  through- 
out eternity,  what  more  can  we  ask  from  God  ?  It 
is  impossible  to  conceive  of  anything  beyond  this 
that  God  can  give. 

//  gives  us  a  picture  of  Christ  himself. 

Usually  the  prayers  of  a  man  are  the  best  index 
of  what  the  man  is.  They  reveal  his  aims  and  his 
ideals.  They  not  only  show  what  he  is,  they 
show  what  he  would  be.  All  this  is  true  with 
reference  to  Christ.  We  learn  of  him  through 
his  prayers  and  see  him  as  he  sees  himself.  I  am 
willing  to  take  this  prayer  as  an  index  of  Jesus 
Christ.  I  am  willing  to  say  to  the  world,  '^  If  you 
w^ould  see  Jesus,  judge  him  by  this  picture." 

This  picture  opens  to  us  his  inner  life.  It 
shows  us  his  consciousness  of  preexistent  glory 
and  of  co-eternity  with  the  Father.  It  shows  us 
his  hidden  purposes  and  his  absolute  self-commit- 
ment to  the  work  of  saving  man.  He  was  for 
ever  devoting  himself  to  this  gracious  mission. 
As  a  boy  he  set  himself  apart  to  it.  "  Wist  ye  not 
that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  business?"  He 
reconsecrated  himself  to  it  in  the  agonies  of  Geth- 
semane. 

As  we  scrutinize  his  innermost  life  which  is 
here  brought  to  view,  we  find  that  it  was  all  glori- 
ous within.  Within  there  was  nothing  but  holy 
purposes  and  pure  desires  and  lofty  aims  and  irre- 


CHRIST'S   INTERCESSORY    PRAYER.  265 

versible  decrees  of  self-sacrifice.  His  life  was  shot 
through  and  through  with  the  glory  of  God.  I 
know  of  no  Christ  grander  than  the  Christ  of  the 
intercessory  prayer.  He  is  a  stimulus  and  a  re- 
freshment and  a  life-generating  model.  Let  men 
grasp  the  Christ  of  the  seventeenth  chapter  of 
John  and  know  him  and  appreciate  him  as  he 
ought  to  be  known  and  appreciated,  and  the  world 
will  go  into  raptures  over  him  and  will  sing  w4th 
all  its  soul  that  song  of  praise  which  is  destined  to 
become  universal,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain  to  receive  riches  and  wisdom  and  strength 
and  honor  and  glory  and  blessing !" 

THE    PETITIONS   OF   THE   PRAYER. 

I.  He  asks  his  Father  that  he  may  be  glorified. 

His  petition  for  himself  is  short,  but  it  implies 
much.  He  asks  the  Father  to  put  the  stamp  of  his 
approbation  upon  his  finished  work  and  to  declare 
his  oneness  with  him.  How  can  the  Father  do 
this  ?  By  exalting  Christ.  By  sending  the  angels 
and  inaugurating  the  ascension.  Once  the  Father 
glorified  Jesus  by  owning  him.  He  spake  down 
through  the  skies  and  said,  "  This  is  my  beloved 
Son  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased;  hear  ye  him." 
Jesus  wants  to  be  owmed  again  and  in  a  fuller 
way.  He  wants  to  receive  that  name  which  is 
above  every  name,  and  to  be  lifted  above  princi- 
palities and  powers  and  mights  and  dominion 
and  above  every  name  in  the  celestial  world. 
He  would  have  the  Father  invest  his  voluntary 
humanity  with  the  eternal  glory  which  he  emp- 
12 


266  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

tied  himself  of  when  he  took  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant. 

There  was  great  glory  in  the  exaltation  of 
Jesus  Christ.  How  the  angels  sang  when  he  en- 
tered the  gates  of  pearl  as  the  King  of  glory ! 
His  entrance  inaugurated  new  celestial  scenes. 
Heaven  never  rang  with  praise  as  it  rang  then, 
and  there  will  never  be  such  another  jubilee  until 
Christ  enters  a  second  time  with  his  glorified 
church. 

In  this  petition  for  himself  Christ  prays  that 
he  may  be  made  known  in  his  true  character.  His 
character  is  his  glory.  His  character  is  made  up 
of  love  and  purity  and  self-sacrifice.  But  men  do 
not  know  this,  hence  they  misunderstand  him 
and  underrate  him.  Now  he  asks  that  he  may  be 
known  as  he  is.  With  Christ  to  become  truly 
known  is  to  become  glorious.  He  is  glorified  in 
the  same  way  that  the  sun  in  the  sky  is  glorified. 
How  is  the  sun  glorified  ?  By  being  allowed  to 
shine  in  its  true  strength.  Sweep  the  clouds  from 
the  mighty  vault  and  let  it  shine.  Let  its  glint- 
ing shafts  shoot  throughout  the  wide  world ;  let 
them  sparkle  in  the  dewdrop  and  embody  them- 
selves in  the  beautiful  flowers  and  flame  in  their 
burning  colors.  Let  Christ  have  an  outcome. 
Let  him  as  King  of  nations  mould  and  shape  em- 
pires and  states  and  rear  ideal  civil  governments 
righteous  in  all  their  functions.  Let  him  re-incar- 
nate himself  in  men  and  women  who  will  love  as 
he  loved  and  work  as  he  worked  and  live  as  he 
lived.     Let  him  be  reproduced  by  a  consecrated 


CHRIST'S   INTERCESSORY    PRAYER.  267 

church  which  will  know  nothing  among  men  but 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of  souls.  Let 
his  character  be  unfolded  by  the  Spirit  of  God. 
Let  all  these  things  take  place,  and  then  Christ  will 
be  revealed  and  glorified  in  the  revelation.  We 
have  not  yet  reached  the  full  revelation  of  Christ. 
All  the  Messianic  passages  of  the  Bible  have  not 
yet  been  unlocked.  The  things  of  Christ  have  not 
all  been  shown  to  the  saints.  Throughout  eternity 
there  will  be  new  and  fresh  exhibits  of  Christ,  and 
these  will  call  out  new  and  fresh  outbursts  which 
will  keep  heaven  always  fresh  and  thrilling. 

2.  He  asks  his  Father  to  keep  his  people  separated 
from  the  evil  in  the  world. 

He  wants  them  kept  within  the  sphere  of  a 
holy  life.  He  wants  them  to  be  made  conscious 
that  their  citizenship  is  in  heaven.  That  there 
may  be  no  mistake  he  declares  what  he  does  not 
mean,  and  then  he  declares  what  he  does  mean. 
He  does  not  mean  that  his  people  shall  become 
anchorites  and  enter  monasteries  and  nunneries ; 
but  he  does  mean  that  while  they  mingle  with 
men  they  shall  be  kept  from  the  principles  and 
habits  and  maxims  which  sway  and  shape  the 
lives  of  the  unregenerated.  Mixing  with  people 
does  not  necessarily  make  men  worldly.  Daniel 
in  Babylon,  in  the  human  whirl  of  the  capital  of 
the  nation,  was  unworldly,  while  Adam  in  Para- 
dise, with  no  companion  but  his  wife,  became 
worldly. 

Christ's  doctrine  is  this :  The  world  needs  the 
Christian,  and  the  Christian  needs  the  world.    The 


268  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

world  needs  the  Christian,  so  Christ  puts  the  Chris- 
tian in  the  world  to  be  His  representative,  to  re- 
flect His  character,  and  to  utter  His  doctrine. 
The  Christian  needs  the  world,  so  Christ  puts  the 
world  around  the  Christian  that  it  may  school  and 
try  and  discipline  him.  The  Christian  is  to  be  in 
the  world  but  not  of  the  world. 

The  fact  that  Christ  emphasized  unworldliness 
as  a  trait  of  Christian  character  by  praying  that 
his  people  may  be  kept  unworldly,  makes  plain 
the  essentiality  of  this  characteristic,  and  requires 
us  to  give  it  a  special  study.  We  will  be  helped 
in  our  study  if  we  ask  such  questions  as  these : 

W/iat  should  be  the  type  of  our  unworldliness  f 

It  should  be  such  as  Christ's.  He  mingled 
with  men,  sailed  in  their  fishing-boats,  worked  in 
their  shops,  joined  in  their  feasts,  but  in  all  these 
scenes  he  never  forgot  that  he  was  Christ,  and 
more  than  this,  he  never  let  others  forget  it.  The 
world  always  felt  that  there  was  a  difference  be- 
tween him  and  it.  In  our  business  and  pleasures 
we  must  never  forget  that  we  are  Christians,  and 
we  must  never  let  others  forget  it. 

Why  is  unworldliness  insisted  upon  ? 

Because  there  can  be  no  Christian  life  without 
it.  "Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon."  "Ye 
cannot  drink  the  cup  of  the  Lord  and  the  cup  of 
devils!"  "Know  ye  not  that  the  friendship  of 
this  world  is  enmity  with  God  ?"  If  the  cedar  and 
the  thistle  must  grow  together  on  the  Lebanon  of 
this  world,  let  them  not  be  married.  "Be  ye  not 
unequally  yoked  with  unbelievers."     The  world- 


CHRIST'S   INTERCESSORY   PRAYER.  269 

life  and  the  Christ-life  are  separated  in  nature,  and 
therefore  they  should  be  separated  in  form.  They 
mean  two  characters,  two  works,  two  destinies,  two 
eternities. 

How  may  ive  test  ourselves  and  gauge  the  degree  of 
our  u7iworldliness  ? 

By  examining-  our  affinities  and  preferences 
and  seeing  if  these  seek  heavenly  things  and  heav- 
enly people.  By  scrutinizing"  our  influence.  If 
we  are  unworldly  we  shall  have  spiritual  power, 
and  this  will  tell  in  bringing  others  to  faith  in 
Christ.  Men  will  believe  because  of  our  lives. 
There  are  many  Lots  in  the  church,  who  because 
of  their  worldly-mindedness  make  no  saving  im- 
pression  upon  Sodom.  They  do  not  save  their 
own  families,  to  say  nothing  of  saving  the  com- 
munity. 

How  can  we  promote  unworldliness  ? 

By  keeping  ourselves  under  the  influence  of 
the  truth  and  by  consecrated  and  earnest  living. 
Serve  God  and  there  will  be  no  danger  from  mam- 
.mon. 

3.  He  asks  his  Father  that  his  people  may  be  boiuid 
together  in  unity. 

Christ  saw  dangers  in  the  coming  history  of 
the  church,  and  he  threw  his  prayer  between  his 
people  and  these.  He  knew  that  the  arch-enemy 
would  seek  to  weaken  the  church  by  divisions,  so 
he  warned  the  church  and  called  it  to  guard  its 
unity.  He  tells  believers  that  their  unity  should 
be  like  the  unity  of  the  Godhead.  The  persons  of 
the  Godhead  are  one  in  love  and  will  and  purpose. 


270  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

How  far  we  are  from  realizing  the  ideal  of  Christ ! 
There  is  room  for  improvement  in  church  union. 
We  are  not  yet  up  to  Christ's  standard.  Still 
things  are  not  as  bad  as  some  would  represent 
them.  It  is  true  that  there  are  some  who  call 
themselves  Christians  who  disfellowship  those 
whom  Christ  fellowships ;  but  these  are  not  the 
most  lovable  Christians.  They  are  not  to  be  taken 
as  the  best  types.  They  are  not  the  people  with 
whom  you  would  want  to  fellowship.  You  would 
have  to  be  very  hard  up  for  fellowship  before  you 
would  apply  at  their  door.  The  people  who  are 
denied  fellowship  do  not  feel  the  denial.  The  un- 
loving and  exclusive  Christians  are  the  losers,  and 
not  the  disfellowshipped  Christians. 

I  think  Christ's  prayer  has  had  a  large  answer. 
It  had  its  answer  in  the' churches  of  the  apostolic 
times.  It  has  its  answer  to-day.  The  different 
bodies  of  Christians  are  wonderfully  united  in  first 
principles  and  in  the  holding  of  the  doctrines 
which  introduce  the  soul  to  Christ  as  the  Saviour. 
The  churches  are  largely  agreed  upon  the  type  of 
life  which  they  shall  insist  upon  and  which  they 
call  Christian  life.  Men  may  attempt  to  disfellow- 
ship one  another,  but  the  fact  is.  Christian  fellow- 
ship is  not  at  the  disposal  of  human  decree.  Chris- 
tian fellowship  is  at  the  disposal  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  only  at  his  disposal.  The  Holy  Ghost  is 
the  bond  of  Christian  communion.  Men  may  deny 
me  the  signs  of  fellowship,  but  if  I  have  the  Spirit 
I  have  the  fellowship  without  the  signs.  When 
men  of  different  nations  and  different  educations 


CHRIST'S   INTERCESSORY   PRAYER.  2/1 

and  different  endowments  and  different  tempera- 
ments  are  taken  hold  of  and  inhabited  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  they  are  one  in  the  truest  sense ; 
they  have  spiritual  and  divine  things  in  common, 
and  this  is  fellowship,  and  nothing  else  is. 

When  God  sent  the  Holy  Ghost  into  the  Chris- 
tian Church  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  he  largely 
answered  this  petition  of  Jesus  for  Christian  unity. 
We  may  deny  the  unity,  but  that  makes  no  differ- 
ence ;  the  unity  exists.  The  hand  may  say  that  it 
is  not  of  the  body,  but  that  makes  no  difference. 
It  is  of  the  body  nevertheless. 

The  duty  of  the  Christian  Church  in  all  its 
parts  is  to  manifest  to  the  world  the  unity  which 
actually  exists  and  which  comes  from  the  possession 
and  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  church. 
It  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  acknowledge  one 
another's  Christian  standing  and  to  cooperate  in 
putting  honor  upon  Christ.  It  is  their  duty  to 
emphasize  their  agreements.  Let  us  tell  the  world 
that  we  have  unity  although  we  have  not  uniform- 
ity. Our  oneness  is  like  the  oneness  of  the  an- 
them with  its  thousands  of  notes.  It  .was  not  uni- 
formity tjiat  Christ  prayed,  for^  because  God  hasj 
not  made  men  uniform.  The  mission  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  is  to  work  its  unity  into  visibility. 

4.  He  asks  the  Father  for  eternal  and  perfect  and 
heavenly  fellowship. 

He  has  prepared  mansions  for  his  people,  and 
he  will  never  be  satisfied  until  he  comes  and  re- 
ceives them  to  himself. 

What  this  petition  for  heaven  includes  we  shall 


272  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

understand  only  when  we  reach  heaven  and  see 
Christ  in  his  glory.  The  golden  age  is  before  us, 
and  when  we  reach  it  we  shall  find  it  all  gold  and 
nothing  but  gold.  It  is  to  be  perfect  in  the  dis- 
play of  Christ's  glory.  It  is  to  be  perfect  in  its 
separation  of  souls  to  God.  It  is  to  be  perfect  in 
the  unity  of  Christians  and  in  the  manifestation  of 
this  unity.  It  is  to  be  perfect  in  its  fellowship 
with  Christ.  It  will  bring  us  the  perfect  answer 
to  Christ's  intercessory  prayer. 

Let  us  learn  from  this  prayer  which  we  have' 
studied — 

1 .  To  give  ourselves  up  to  large  faith. 

Christ's  prayer  was  offered  and  recorded  on  our 
account.  The  Father  no  doubt  was  delighted  by 
it,  but  he  did  not  need  it.  We  must  not  look  at 
the  Father  and  Son  as  though  they  were  in  antag- 
onism. The  Father  would  have  been  true  to  his 
part  of  the  covenant  with  the  Son  if  Christ  had 
never  prayed  this  prayer.  He  would  also  have 
given  his  covenant  people  every  promised  thing. 
This  prayer  is  offered  on  our  account.  It  is  in- 
tended as  a  basis  upon  which  we  can  build  our 
faith.  It  is  intended  to  give  us  a  vision  of  our 
future  and  the  future  of  our  religion  as  Christ  sees 
it.  It  lets  us  see  what  Christ's  will  is.  If  this 
prayer  of  Christ  is  to  be  our  future,  great  should 
be  our  expectation  and  faith.  Small  faith  dishon- 
ors such  a  future  as  this. 

2.  Let  us  tear  11  to  ask  for  large  and  grand  things. 
We  should  ask  as  Christ  asked.      He  asked  for 

large  and  grand  things.     Such  things  are  in  the 


CHRIST'S   INTERCESSORY   PRAYER.  2/3 

heart  of  God  for  us.  We  should  ask  for  nothing 
less  than  the  promises.  But  what  are  the  prom- 
ises? Are  they  a  complete  exhibition  of  God's 
love  ?  Do  they  exhibit  all  the  favors  which  he  has 
stored  for  us?  No.  We  only  see  parts  of  God 
and  parts  of  God's  purposes.  It  is  with  his  love  as 
it  is  with  his  power.  He  takes  us  out  into  the  uni- 
verse to  look  at  his  mighty  works  and  at  the  opera- 
tions of  his  gigantic  forces.  When  we  are  amazed 
and  overawed  at  the  sight,  he  says  to  us,  "  If  you 
take  this  for  the  full  exhibition  of  my  omnipotence 
you  minimize  my  omnipotence.  This  is  only  the 
hiding  of  my  power."  It  is  with  his  love  as  it  is 
with  his  beauty.  In  all  the  beauty  in  the  universe 
we  only  see  part  of  the  beauty  which  is  in  his  pos- 
session. The  rainbow  may  be  taken  as  the  acme 
of  visible  beauty.  But  what  is  the  rainbow  ?  In 
it  we  see  only  half  of  one  of  the  shining  chariot- 
wheels  of  Him  who  rides  the  storm.  The  prom- 
ises are  to  the  full  love  of  God  what  the  twilight  is 
to  the  noontide  splendor.  Grand  as  the  promises 
are  and  high  above  our  faith  as  they  are,  they  are 
only  the  flush  of  the  dawn  of  God's  infinite  affec- 
tion. For  the  noonday  of  this  affection  we  must 
await  the  heavenly  revelations.  If  this  be  so,  then 
when  we  draw  upon  God's  love  we  should  draw 
largely.  When  we  pray  we  should  be  like  Christ, 
and  ask  for  large  and  grand  things. 


studies  in    John'n    Gospel.  12 


2/4  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  BETRAYED  BY  JUDAS. 

"Judas  who  betrayed  m^y^John  18:2. 

If  we  are  to  have  this  Scripture  before  us  in  its 
fulness,  we  must  first  look  at  Jesus  before  we  give 
our  thoughts  to  Judas.  The  intention  of  the  Scrip- 
ture is  first  to  glorify  Christ,  and  then  secondly  to 
instruct  us.  It  is  true  that  Judas  serves  as  a  reve- 
lation of  humanity,  and  makes  manifest  the  things 
in  our  nature  which  we  must  guard  against  and 
eliminate ;  it  'is  true  that  we  intend  especially  to 
use  them  as  such  ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  he  serves 
to  make  John's  exhibit  of  Jesus  Christ  more  clear 
and  more  perfect,  and  we  must  deal  with  that  fact 
first. 

In  our  previous  study  we  ascertained  the  reign- 
ing purpose  of  the  Gospel  according  to  John  It  is 
this :  To  set  forth  and  establish  the  deity  of  Christ. 
Up  to  this  point  in  his  writings  John  has  set  forth 
divine  attribute  after  divine  attribute,  and  in  these 
we  have  seen  the  outshining  of  God  in  Christ.  In 
Jesus  Christ  we  have  seen  ubiquity  of  power,  in- 
finite condescension,  and  the  exercise  of  omnipo- 
tence. This  Scripture  brings  one  more  of  his 
divine  attributes  into  prominence,  viz.,  the  divine 
attribute  of  infinite  and  unchanging  love.  Infinite 
and  unchanging  love  is  certainly  an  attribute  of 
God.  The  love  of  God  the  Father,  the  God  of  the 
Old  Testament,  is  infinite  and  unchanging.     Only 


CHRIST  BETRAYED  BY  JUDAS.  275 

such  a  love  would  have  held  on  to  backsliding  and 
sinning  Israel.  Behold  his  infinite  and  unchan- 
ging love.  He  sent  them  his  prophets,  and  they 
stoned  his  prophets.  Then  he  sent  tliem  his  Son, 
and  they  crucified  his  Son.  Then  he  sent  them 
his  Spirit.  When  their  sin  abounded,  his  grace 
did  much  more  abound.  The  love  of  God  the  Fa- 
ther is  an  infinite  and  unchanging  love.  Now  this 
love  of  God  the  Father  is  matched  by  the  love  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  this  Scripture  tells  us  so.  Treason 
and  desertion  and  denial  could  not  overcome  it. 
Treason  and  desertion  and  denial  were  the  things 
which  the  disciples  gave  Jesus,  but  he  loved  them 
unchangingly.  He  showed  his  love  by  his  tender 
warnings,  and  by  his  tireless  efforts  to  rescue  them 
from  coming  sins  and  from  the  bitter  consequents 
thereof.  His  love  wrestled  to  melt  the  hard  heart 
of  Judas  and  to  prevent  his  treason.  When  one 
expedient  failed,  it  tried  another.  The  love  which 
wrestled  with  and  held  on  to  Judas  was  the  same 
love  which  wrestled  with  and  held  on  to  sinning 
Israel. 

JUDAS,   WHO   BETRAYED   CHRIST. 

When  we  read  the  story  of  Judas'  treason  we 
cannot  forget  who  Judas  was.  Judas  was  an, apos- 
tle. This  man  who  sold  Christ  once  labored  for 
Christ.  He  was  among  the  twelve  whom  Christ 
ordained,  and  whom  he  sent  forth  to  work  miracles 
and  preach  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  He  both 
preached  and  wrought  miracles.  He  shared  with 
the  others  in  gifts  and  in  commission.      Does  God 


2/6  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

then  employ  unconverted  men  to  carry  on  his 
work  ?  That  is  a  natural  question,  and  we  must 
deal  with  it.  In  answering  it  we  reply,  Not  as  a 
rule.  Judas  stands  as  an  exception  among  the 
apostles,  just  as  Balaam  stands  as  an  exception 
among  the  prophets.  As  a  rule  heaven  blesses 
only  the  ministry  of  regenerated  men ;  it  employs 
good  men  to  make  bad  men  good.  This  is  the 
rule,  but  it  has  had  its  rare  exceptions.  Some- 
where we  have  read  of  sailors  in  the  Arctic  regions 
who,  to  warm  their  freezing  blood,  kindled  a  fire 
by  pieces  of  ice  taken  from  the  crystal  mountains 
of  frozen  waters  piled  about  them.  By  forming 
the  ice  into  a  concave  lens  it  caught  and  condensed 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  acting  as  a  burning-glass.  The 
ice-lens  remained  itself  unmelted,  while  by  its  aid 
the  sailors  kindled  a  fire  in  the  wild  wilderness  of 
snow.  Even  so  the  rays  of  gospel  truth  may  pass 
through  the  frozen  heart  of  an  unconverted  work- 
er, thaw  the  souls  of  those  to  whom  he  ministers 
into  the  temperature  of  heavenly  love,  and  yet 
leave  him  frosty  and  icebound.  This  may  be ; 
but  when  it  is  the  case,  it  is  the  exception  and  not 
the  rule.  God  can  use  any  agency  in  his  service. 
He  can  use  the  crowing  of  a  cock  ;  he  can  use  the 
lips  of  an  ass ;  he  can  even  use  the  devil,  and  he 
does.  The  devil  sticks  a  thorn  into  Paul's  flesh, 
and  he  does  it  out  of  pure  devilishness,  but-God 
makes  it  a  means  of  grace  to  Paul,  and  by  it  keeps 
him  from  a  spiritual  pride  which  would  ruin  him. 
When  we  read  the  story  of  Judas'  treason,  we 
cannot  forget  that  Christ  himself  chose  Judas  to 


CHRIST   BETRAYED   BY  JUDAS.  2'j'J 

the  apostolate.  That  suggests  another  question, 
viz.,  Was  Christ  deceived  in  Judas,  or  did  he  make 
a  mistake  in  choosing  him  ?  Christ  made  no  mis- 
take in  selecting  this  man ;  Judas  had  his  place 
and  his  work.  The  function  of  Judas,  as  one  of 
the  twelve,  was  in  point  of  usefulness  inferior  to 
none.  Though  he  served  Christianity  uninten- 
tionally, his  service  was  of  immense  importance. 
He  proved  to  be  a  most  effective  and  telling  wit- 
ness for  Christ.  He  was  admitted  into  the  inner 
life  of  Christ.  He  had  opportunities  to  see  Christ 
and  know  him  through  and  through.  When  he 
was  in  his  agony  of  remorse  because  of  his  treason, 
and  when  he  searched  the  life  of  Christ  to  find 
a  flaw  in  it  which  would  justify  his  treason  and 
satisfy  his  accusing  conscience,  he  was  compelled 
to  cry  out,  ''  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood ;  I 
have  sinned  against  holiness!"  Men  who  refuse 
to  believe  the  testimony  of  the  other  apostles  are 
compelled  to  believe  Judas.  Think  of  it ;  so  thor- 
oughly convinced  was  Judas  of  the  truth  of  his 
testimony  to  Christ  that  he  was  compelled  to  seal 
it  with  his  blood.  No ;  there  was  no  mistake  in 
the  choice  of  Judas  to  be  a  witness  of  Jesus  Christ. 
As  a  witness  he  was  worth  as  much  as  any  other 
two.  He  was  the  most  impartial  of  all  the  wit- 
nesses. To  testify  for  Christ  was  self-crimination  : 
it  was  branding  himself  as  a  traitor  and  blacken- 
ing his  name  for  eternity.  Still,  under  the  com- 
pulsion of  his  conscience,  he  cast  down  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  at  the  feet  of  the  men  who  pur- 
chased Christ  at  his  hand  for  that  sum,  and  look- 


278  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

ing  them  full  in  the  face  he  said,  ''  I  have  sinned. 
I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood."  In  estimating 
the  character  of  Jesus  Christ,  men  will  never  cease 
to  count  that  testimony. 

But  let  us  look  at  the  treason  of  Judas  fairly 
and  squarely.  It  was  a  monumental  crime,  and  it 
was  such  because  it  was  an  awfully  aggravated 
crime.  Judas  deliberately  broke  down  every  bar- 
rier which  Jesus  erected  to  keep  him  from  his 
fatality.  It  was  not  the  Lord  who  rejected  Judas, 
it  was  Judas  who  rejected  the  Lord.  The  details 
of  his  treason,^"which  show  the  capacity  of  human 
nature  for  sin,  show  also  the  pleading  love  and 
outgoing  pity  of  Christ,  and  his  unwillingness  to 
give  up  the  sinner.  Let  us  enumerate  the  aggra- 
vations in  the  treason  of  the  man. 

He  committed  his  treason  upon  the  most  solemn 
occasion.  He  was  amid  holy  scenes.  The  time  was 
charged  with  solemnity.  He  was  dealing  with  a 
seal  of  the  covenant,  the  Passover.'  He  was  hand- 
ling the  memorials  of  God's  avenging  plagues 
wherewith  He  smote  Egypt,  and  yet  there  was  in 
his  heart  a  greater  crime  than  Egypt  ever  com- 
mitted. There  is  something  in  the  occasion  upon 
which  a  sin  is  committed.  A  man  who  can  delib- 
erately sin  amid  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath,  or  in 
the  presence  of  death,  gives  evidence  of  intense 
hardness  of  heart.  The  solemnity  of  the  occasion 
in  which  Judas  sinned  was  as  the  sanctity  of  the 
Sabbath  and  as  the  presence  of  death. 

He  committed  his  treason  when  the  warning 
of  Christ  was  ringing  in  his  ears.     Jesus  told  him 


CHRIST   BETRAYED   BY   JUDAS.  279 

of  his  danger.  Jesus  named  his  sin  and  described 
it.  He  gave  it  its  right  name  that  he  might 
startle  the  traitor  and  thus  save  him :  "  One  of 
you  shall  betray  me."  Soft  and  polite  names  ap- 
plied to  sins  make  them  easy  of  commission.  Call 
equivocation  downright  lying,  which  it  is ;  call  sly 
insinuation  black  slander,  which  it  is;  call  busi- 
ness sharpness  real  dishonesty,  which  it  is;  and 
there  will  be  fewer  equivocaters,  fewer  insinua- 
tors,  and  fewer  sharp  business  men.  The  warn- 
ing which  Christ  gave  the  traitor  was  full  of 
power,  because  it  named  his  crime  boldly  and 
clearly.  It  is  an  aggravation  when  a  man  know- 
ingly and  determinately  commits  a  sin  which 
bears  an  odious  name. 

He  committed  his  treason  when  his  compan- 
ions were  manifesting  their  sorrow  and  horror  at 
his  crime.  Christ  brought  to  bear  upon  Judas  the 
full  influence  of  the  apostles.  Here  were  eleven 
men  whose  good-will  and  esteem  bound  him  to 
fidelity,  yet  he  brake  this  eleven-fold  bond.  Is 
the  sorrow  of  friends  nothing  ?  Is  it  nothing  that 
your  home  is  heart-broken  by  your  waywardness  ? 
Is  it  nothing  that  the  church  grieves  over  you  as  a 
prodigal?  There  is  a  power  in  human  sorrow. 
The  sad  countenance  is  a  mighty  force,  and  Christ 
did  well  to  surround  the  traitor  with  eleven  sad 
faces,  in  order  if  possible  to  hold  him  from  ruin. 
"They  were  exceeding  sorrowful  and  began  every 
one  of  them  to  say,  Lord,  is  it  I  ?"  By  their  sor- 
row these  disciples  manifested  their  horror  at  the 
treason  of  Iscariot.    The  question,  "  Lord,  is  it  I  ?" 


280  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

was  a  question  of  horror.  It  showed  what  the 
apostles  thought  of  the  treason.  By  this  question 
public  sentiment  was  brought  to  bear  upon  Judas. 
The  horror  of  these  disciples  was  natural,  for 
treason  has  ever  been  odious.  Read  the  story  of 
Benedict  Arnold,  and  mark  the  thrill  of  indigna- 
tion that  swept  through  the  republic  when  his 
treason  was  unmasked.  Read  the  story  of  the 
assassination  of  Julius  Caesar,  and  learn  that  it  was 
the  sting  of  treason  that  paralyzed  his  arm.  He 
fought  his  assassins  until  his  eye  rested  upon  his 
friend  Brutus.  When  he  saw  the  hand  of  Brutus 
uplifted  to  strike  the  deadly  blow,  his  spirit  failed 
him  and  he  fell  without  a  further  struggle.  That 
treason  roused  the  Roman  Empire.  Brutus  was 
compelled  to  flee  from  public  indignation  and  die, 
like  Judas,  the  death  of  a  suicide.  It  is  a  hard- 
ened heart  that  can  sin  against  public  sentiment. 

Judas  sinned  with  hypocritical  effrontery,  con- 
scious that  he  was  detected,  and  with  a  full  knowl- 
edge of  the  judgment  which  hung  over  him. 
Usually  detection  breaks  the  sinner  down.  It 
made  Judas  more  brazen-faced.  Instead  of  allow- 
ing himself  to  be  looked  out  of  countenance,  he 
determined  to  look  everybody  else  out  of  counte- 
nance. As  though  he  were  innocent  he  too  asked, 
*'  Lord,  is  it  I  ?"  He  asked  this  question  after 
Jesus  showed  him  the  dark  millenniums  of  perdi- 
tion which  hung  over  him.  What  a  sight  have 
we  here !  The  hardening  of  the  sinful  heart 
under  the  pleadings  of  mercy;  the  sinner  past 
impression,   self -blinded   and   infatuated,   all  his 


CHRIST  BETRAYED  BY  JUDAS.       28 1 

feelings  turned  into  stone.  What  a  sight !  The 
Son  of  God  himself  unsuccessful  as  a  preacher. 
But  mark,  the  pleading  of  mercy  is  not  without 
its  effects.  It  is  never  in  vain.  The  doom  of 
Judas  shows  this.  It  melts  or  it  hardens.  It  is 
like  the  sun,  which  either  scatters  the  mists  of  the 
summer  morning  or  else  rolls  them  into  heavier 
folds,  from  whose  livid  depths  the  storm  flashes 
at  mid-day. 

The  doom  of  Judas  with  its  remorse,  its  scream 
of  agony,  ''  I  have  betrayed  innocent  blood !"  its 
abandonment  of  the  price  of  blood  as  though  each 
piece  of  silver  were  a  red-hot  coin,  its  awful  leap 
out  into  a  black  and  rayless  eternity — the  doom  of 
Judas  is  a  convincing  proof  that  treason  does  not 
pay.  It  does  not  pay.  The  whole  world  is  down 
on  it,  and  so  is  God  and  so  is  the  traitor's  own  con- 
science. There  is  no  possibility  of  exaggerating 
the  doom  of  Judas  the  traitor,  for  the  Bible  no- 
where teaches  us  that  the  love  of  God  is  lower 
than  hell,  or  that  there  is  a  probation  for  man 
after  he  leaps  as  a  suicide  into  eternity.  It  is  only 
a  morbid  charity  that  exaggerates  God's  mercy  at 
the  expense  of  his  justice.  Such  a  charity  helps 
not  one  whit  the  souls  on  the  other  side  of  the 
line,  but  it  deceives  and  destroys  souls  on  this  side 
of  the  line.  It  is  not  charity  at  all ;  it  is  down- 
right falsehood  and  cruelty. 

The  doom  of  Judas  is  a  tough  problem  upon 
the  hands  of  theologians  who  deal  in  this  false 
charity.  One  of  them  in  our  city  gave  a  course 
of    lectures   on   the   twelve   apostles.     When  he 


282  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

reached  Judas,  I  went  to  hear  that  lecture.  I  was 
curious  to  witness  the  ascension  of  Judas  to  the 
skies.  The  lecturer  put  him  there.  He  built  a 
magnificent  heavenly  palace  for  him  out  of  rhet- 
oric and  imagination.  No  mansion  could  be 
grander  than  his.  He  made  it  out  that  because 
Judas  was  the  greatest  sinner,  therefore  his  sal- 
vation would  be  the  grandest  possible  exhibit  of 
the  glorious  grace  of  God.  Then  he  dwelt  upon 
the  repentance  and  confession  of  Judas,  and  de- 
clared that  any  kind  of  sorrow  on  account  of 
sin  meant  eternal  life.  Rhetorically  considered  it 
was  a  beautiful  heavenly  mansion.  But  when  he 
finished  it  and  it  stood  forth  in  its  grandeur  and 
completeness,  I  saw  two  bolts  from  God's  Word 
strike  it,  and  they  struck  it  full  and  fair  on  its 
base.  These  bolts  were  hurled  by  the  hand  of 
divine  truth.  When  the  great  cloud  of  smoke  and 
dust  had  passed  away  and  the  flying  debris  had 
settled  and  the  atmosphere  had  become  clear,  I 
looked,  and  there  was  not  one  stone  of  the  man- 
sion left  upon  another.  One  of  the  bolts  which 
struck  the  fabric  was  this :  "  Godly  sorrow  worketh 
repentance  to  salvation  not  to  be  repented  of ;  but 
the  sorrow  of  the  world  worketh  death."  The 
other  bolt  was  this :  ''  The  Son  of  man  goeth  as  it 
is  written  of  him,  but  woe  unto  that  man  by  whom 
the  Son  of  man  is  betrayed ;  it  had  been  good  for 
that  man  if  he  had  not  been  born."  Of  no  soul 
that  ever  reached  heaven  and  enjoyed  eternal 
glory  can  it  be  said,  "  It  had  been  good  for  that 
man  if  he  had  not  been  born." 


CHRIST   BETRAYED   BY   JUDAS.  283 

DEDUCTIONS. 

I.   God  puts   all  possible  barriers   in  the  way  of 
sinners. 

What  more  could  Christ  have  done  to  keep 
Judas  from  treason?  In  Christ's  dealing  with 
him  we  see  God's  dealing  with  all  sinners.  You 
remember  God's  protest  to  Balaam.  You  remem- 
ber the  plagues  which  God  put  between  Pharaoh 
and  his  ruin.  God  is  dealing  with  us  as  he  dealt 
with  these  men  of  old.  He  is  warning  us.  He  is 
daily  putting  barriers  between  us  and  sin  with  its 
sure  doom.  Judas  is  a  barrier.  The  known  ca- 
reer of  every  sinner  is  a  barrier.  The  command- 
ments, the  threatenings,  the  warnings,  the  prom- 
ises, the  judgments,  the  broken  hearts  of  friends, 
and  the  admonitions  of  conscience,  all  these  are 
barriers  which  God  uses  to  block  the  way  to  sin 
and  ruin.  If  we  ride  over  these  barriers,  then  we 
are  responsible  for  the  consequences. 

2.  The  dark  possibilities  of  human  nature  are 
tremendous. 

Judas  reveals  this.  We  are  not  to  suppose  that 
the  betrayal  has  never  been  repeated.  Christ  is 
betrayed  every  day.  There  is  a  slumbering  Judas 
in  every  heart.  There  is  in  us  all  the  moral  stuff 
out  of  which  to  make  traitors  and  deserters.  Our 
timid  treasons  will  grow  into  daring  betrayals  if 
not  eliminated,  and  our  thoughtless  boastings  will 
rebound  into  desertions  if  not  checked.  This  is 
what  the  record  of  dark  appalling  providences 
teaches  us.     A  voice  from  this  sad  chapter  says, 


284  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

**  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things  and  des- 
perately wicked."  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he 
standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall." 

It  is  folly  to  talk  of  the  conduct  of  Judas  as 
though  it  were  outside  of  the  pale  of  humanity. 
Given  the  same  circumstances,  and  human  nature 
can  produce  a  like  treason  at  any  time.  The  con- 
trolling habits  and  volitions  of  Judas  are  found  in 
ten  thousands  of  hearts.  The  deed  of  Judas  is 
simply  a  window  showing  the  human  heart.  In 
him  we  see  our  dark  possibilities.  These  are 
shown  us  to  teach  that  it  takes  the  almighty  grace 
of  God  to  restrain  us,  and  the  almighty  Spirit  to 
regenerate  us  and  give  us  a  new  heart,  and  the 
almighty  truth  to  sanctify  our  nature. 

But  is  there  not  a  bright  fact  associated  with 
this  line  of  thought  ?  There  is.  It  is  this :  If  we 
have  such  a  tremendous  power  for  evil,  our  nature 
must  have  a  tremendous  power  for  good.  The 
garden  that  grows  weeds  can  grow  flowers.  When 
our  faculties  are  sanctified,  when  the  whole  bent 
of  our  immortal  nature  is  turned  heavenward  and 
God  ward,  our  possibilities  to  rise  and  advance  are 
as  tremendous  as  our  possibilities  to  retrograde 
and  demonize.  Are  Judas  and  Peter  in  their  be- 
trayal and  denial  of  Christ  types  of  humanity  ?  so 
are  Moses  and  Elijah,  who  appear  in  glory  and 
who  strengthen  and  comfort  Christ. 

3.  T/ie  wickedness  of  man,  great  as  it  is,  is  sub- 
servient  to  the  divine  purpose. 

We  may  not  be  able  to  explain  this,  but  we  see 
it  to  be  so.     It  is  history.     We  may  find  a  diffi- 


CHRIST   BETRAYED   BY   JUDAS.  285 

culty  in  the  apparent  clash  between  the  decree  of 
God  and  the  free  agency  of  man  and  we  may  feel 
ourselves  in  a  mix,  but  the  difficulty  is  one  wholly 
of  metaphysics  and  not  of  facts.  The  awakened 
conscience  finds  no  difficulty.  Judas  did  not 
throw  himself  back  on  the  divine  decree,  although 
his  treason  was  the  fulfilment  of  a  decree;  he 
threw  himself  back  on  his  free  agency.  He  ac- 
cused himself  and  not  God.  That  is  what  every 
awakened  sinner  does.  Over  every  sin  there  is  an 
overruling  decree,  which  conscience  declares  does 
not  destroy  man's  responsibility,  but  which  his- 
tory declares  does  make  man's  sin  subservient  to 
God's  glorious  plans  for  the  universe.  Treason 
and  denial  and  desertion  in  the  school  of  the 
apostles,  one-sixth  of  the  whole  number  in  dis- 
grace, the  rest  fleeing  from  duty,  what  state  of  the 
church  could  be  worse  than  that?  And  yet  the 
church  lived  and  reached  Pentecost.  God  makes 
a  record  of  this  so  that  we  may  never  give  way  to 
discouragement  or  distrust.  Distrust  is  about  as 
bad  as  desertion.  This  is  the  law  of  the  kingdom 
of  God,  viz..  The  treason  leads  to  the  crucifixion, 
the  crucifixion  leads  to  the  resurrection,  the  resur- 
rection leads  to  the  ascension,  the  ascension  leads 
to  the  coronation,  the  coronation  leads  to  the  uni- 
versal triumph.  Nothing  can  stop  the  onward 
cause  of  God  or  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ. 


286  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  BEFORE  PILATE. 

"  Then  delivered  he  him  therefore  unto  them  to  be  cruci- 
fied."— John  19:16. 

Pilate  is  a  man  with  a  dark  immortality.  His 
name  is  a  by-word  and  a  hissing  in  human  history. 
He  is  known  to  the  after  ages  only  because  of  his 
wickedness.  God's  Word  gives  him  a  place  in 
gospel  history  that  he  may  be  a  beacon  to  society 
and  an  exposition  of  the  dark  side  of  human  na- 
ture. He  is  an  illustration  of  the  downward  ten- 
dencies of  man  and  an  exponent  of  his  dark  possi- 
bilities. It  is  the  possibility  of  man  in  every  age 
to  scourge  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God  and  crucify 
him. 

I.     THE   HISTORY    OF   PILATE   AS   HE  JUDGES   JESUS. 

The  rulers  of  the  Jews  had  already  condemned 
Jesus  to  death,  and  they  brought  him  to  Pilate  to 
have  their  sentence  confirmed  and  executed.  The 
reason  they  appealed  to  Pilate  was  this :  The  Ro- 
mans had  taken  away  from  them  the  right  of  in- 
flicting capital  punishment.  As  things  were,  only 
the  Roman  Government  could  lawfully  put  a  man 
to  death.  The  Roman  method  of  inflicting  capital 
punishment  was  crucifixion.  The  Jews  therefore 
brought  Jesus  to  Pilate  to  be  crucified.  In  choos- 
ing the  Roman  method  of  inflicting  capital  pun- 
ishment rather  than  the  Jewish  method,  they  were 


CHRIST   BEFORE  PILATE.  28/ 

employing  means  which  fulfilled  a  noted  predic- 
tion concerning  Christ.  The  Jewish  method  was 
to  stone  a  man  to  death.  Stoning  mangled  the 
body  and  broke  the  bones  of  the  victim.  God  had 
proclaimed  in  prophecy  that  when  Christ  should 
be  offered  as  the  great  Passover  sacrifice  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  not  a  bone  of  his 
body  should  be  broken.  If  he  had  been  stoned  to 
death,  this  purpose  of  God's  would  have  failed  ; 
but  when  Christ  was  crucified  it  was  literally  car- 
ried out. 

The  first  question  which  Pilate  asked  the  ru- 
lers of  the  Jews  was,  ''What  accusation  bring  ye 
against  this  man  ?"  Was  it  the  tone  in  which  Pi- 
late asked  this  question  that  offended  the  Jewish 
rulers  ?  We  know  not ;  but  it  is  certain  they  were 
offended.  They  considered  the  question  a  com- 
pliment to  Jesus  and  a  reflection  upon  them. 
*'  They  answered  and  said,  If  he  were  not  a  male- 
factor, we  would  not  have  delivered  him  up  unto 
thee."  Supposing  him  guilty  of  a  minor  offence, 
Pilate  told  these  rulers  to  take  Christ  and  judge 
him  according  to  their  own  laws.  To  this  the  ru- 
lers replied,  "  The  charge  against  him  is  a  capital 
charge,  requiring  the  infliction  of  the  death  penal- 
ty ;  we  have  found  him  guilty  and  we  bring  him 
to  you  for  execution."  Pilate,  seeing  that  the  case 
was  upon  his  hands,  demanded  that  formal  charges 
be  presented  against  Christ.  These  the  rulers 
presented.  He  was  charged  with  forbidding  men 
to  pay  tribute  to  Csesar  and  with  claiming  to  be 
king  himself.      When  the  charges  were  made,  Pi- 


288  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

late  took  Christ  into  an  inner  room  and  held  his 
first  conversation  with  him.  He  asked  him  if  he 
was  a  king.  Jesus  in  turn  requested  an  explana- 
tion of  the  question:  ''Sayest  thou  this  thing  of 
thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  of  me  ?"  That  is, 
Do  you  ask  your  question  in  the  Romish  sense  or 
in  the  Jewish  sense  ?  Do  you  ask  am  I  a  polit- 
ical king,  a  rival  of  Caesar,  or  am  I  the  Jewish 
Messiah-king?  Pilate  threw  himself  on  his  dig^ 
nity  and  asked,  *'  Am  I  a  Jew?"  This  showed  that 
Pilate's  question  was  a  political  question,  and  Je- 
sus immediately  explained  to  Pilate  the  character 
of  his  kingdom  and  the  sense  in  which  he  was 
king. 

Thus  the  trial  of  Jesus,  which  was  prosecuted 
with  bitterness,  serves  the  church  of  Christ  for  all 
time.  It  calls  forth  from  the  Master  himself  an 
exposition  of  his  kingdom,  and  a  declaration  of 
the  instrumentalities  by  which  it  is  to  be  further- 
ed. This  is  just  what  the  church  needs.  And 
what  is  the  kingdom  of  Christ  according  to  the 
highest  authority  ?  First  we  learn  what  it  is  not, 
and  then  we  learn  what  it  is.  It  is  not  a  kingdom 
full  of  worldly  pomp  and  display.  It  is  not  a  king- 
dom seeking  worldly  ends.  It  is  not  a  kingdom 
which  gets  its  authority  from  earth,  from  the  hu- 
man will,  but  from  heaven.  It  is  not  a  kingdom 
guarded  with  bayonets  and  guns  and  flashing 
sw^ords.  It  is  a  spiritual  kingdom,  a  kingdom  of 
truth,  a  kingdom  of  ideas,  a  kingdom  set  up  in 
the  souls  of  men.  It  is  a  kingdom  whose  warfare 
is  carried  on  with  spiritual  weapons.     These  wea- 


CHRIST   BEFORE    PILATE.  289 

pons  are  holy  thoughts,  and  they  are  powerful. 
The  omnipotent  God  is  in  them.  It  is  because 
these  weapons  are  so  powerful  that  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  is  destined  to  become  universal.  Thoughts 
are  mightier  than  swords.  They  will  bring  down 
hearts  which  are  out  of  the  reach  of  bullets.  They 
will  explode  systems  which  dynamite  cannot 
budge.  *'The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not 
carnal,  but  spiritual ;  yet  they  are  mighty  through 
God  for  the  pulling  down  of  the  strongholds  of 
sin  and  Satan." 

Pilate's  talk  with  Christ  convinced  him  that 
Christ  was  not  guilty  of  the  charge  which  the  Jews 
brought  against  him.  He  saw  that  his  offence  was 
not  political,  but  religious,  and  that  it  was  envy 
which  led  the  rulers  of  the  Jews  to  seek  his  cruci- 
fixion. He  immediately  took  Christ  out  to  his  ac- 
cusers and  told  them  that  he  found  no  fault  in 
him. 

If  this  Ijad  ended  the  case,  Pilate  would  have 
stood  before  the  world  as  a  noble  character  and  as 
an  honest  man.  But  it  did  not  end  the  case.  Pi- 
late refused  to  stand  by  his  decision  and  make  it 
final.  He  listened  to  the  protests  and  appeals  of 
the  angry  Jews.  He  allowed  them  to  reopen  the 
case  and  to  re  judge  an  acquitted  man.  He 
showed  irresolution,  and  this  was  his  fatal  hurt. 
Finding  the  case  again  on  his  hands,  he  deter- 
mined to  dispose  of  it  by  expedients  and  not  by 
square  and  open  justice.  In  the  second  charges 
made  against  Christ,  one  of  the  counts  was  that  he 
created  trouble  in  Galilee.      Pilate  thought  that 

Studies  in  John's  Gospel.  j  ■? 


290  STUDIES    IN   JOHN  S    GOSPEL. 

this  Opened  the  door  of  escape  to  him,  for  it  gave 
him  an  opportunity  to  transfer  the  whole  case  to 
Herod,  the  governor  of  Galilee.  The  case  was  so 
transfered,  and  Pilate  congratulated  himself  on 
his  clever  deliverance.  But  Herod  could  make 
nothing  of  the  case  and  sent  it  back  to  Pilate. 
Again  Pilate  sought  the  release  of  Christ  by  tell- 
ing his  accusers  that  his  decision  as  to  Christ's 
innocency  had  been  confirmed  by  Herod.  But 
this  was  not  accepted  by  the  accusers  of  Christ. 
Pilate  then  resorted  to  another  expedient.  He 
determined  to  appeal  to  the  people  and  have  them 
annul  the  sentence  of  their  rulers.  He  could  not 
prevail  with  the  rulers ;  perhaps  he  might  prevail 
with  the  people.  It  was  customary  to  release  at 
the  feast  a  prisoner  whom  the  people  chose.  Pi- 
late therefore  put  Barabbas,  a  noted  criminal,  and 
Jesus  side  by  side,  and  asked  the  people,  Whom 
shall  I  release,  Barabbas  or  Jesus  ?  The  difference 
between  the  men  was  so  great  that  Pilate  felt  that 
the  people  would  be  compelled  to  choose  Jesus  and 
thus  settle  the  case.  To  Pilate's  surprise  and  mor- 
tification the  air  was  filled  with  the  cry  ofttimes 
repeated,  "  Release  Barabbas  and  crucify  for  us 
Jesus." 

The  further  efforts  of  Pilate  to  save  Jesus  are 
easily  told.  Seeing  that  the  case  was  desperate 
and  that  the  people  had  doomed  Jesus  to  the 
cross,  Pilate  proposed  this  severe  measure,  "  I  will 
scourge  Christ  and  let  him  go."  He  thought  that 
this  would  satisfy  the  people  and  deliver  Jesus 
from   crucifixion.     This   proposal  was   downright 


CHRIST   BEFORE   PILATE.  29I 

cruelty,  and  we  begin  to  see  the  true  inwardness  of 
the  man  who  could  propose  it.  What  was  this  pro- 
posal ?  It  was  a  proposal  to  treat  a  guiltless  man 
as  though  he  were  the  w^orst  of  criminals.  Only 
the  most  guilty  were  scourged.  It  was  a  proposal 
to  lacerate  and  inflict  the  severest  agony  upon  a 
pure  and  holy  body.  Scourging  was  a  most  cruel 
thing.  We  are  told  that  the  victim  under  the 
scourge  often  fell  to  the  floor  amid  screams  and 
convulsive  leaps  and  awful  contortions,  and  then 
swooned  and  lay  there  a  senseless  heap,  an  un- 
recognizable mass  of  bleeding  flesh.  Sometimes 
they  were  picked  up  dead.  This  was  the  treat- 
ment which  Pilate  proposed  for  Jesus.  '*  I  will 
scourge  him  and  let  him  go."  Only  the  most  piti- 
ful mockery  of  a  ruler  or  judge  dare  propose  such 
a  thing  for  the  man  whom  he  pronounced  inno- 
cent. It  was  as  really  wrong  to  scourge  Christ  as 
it  was  to  crucify  him.  Let  Pilate  yield  so  far  as 
to  scourge  Christ,  and  the  accusers  of  Christ  will 
discern  at  once  his  fickleness  and  his  loose  views 
of  justice ;  they  will  see  the  possibility  of  com- 
pelling him  to  crucify  Christ.  Man  cannot  escape 
sin  by  sinning.  Man  cannot  succeed  by  putting 
policy  in  the  place  of  principle.  Pilate  did  not 
succeed.  When  he  scourged  Jesus,  Pilate's  sol- 
diers, catching  his  spirit,  subjected  Jesus  to  further 
injustice  and  cruelty.  They  maltreated  him  and 
mocked  him.  They  drove  a  crown  of  thorns  upon 
his  head  and  clothed  him  in  a  sham  robe  of  roy- 
alty. Thus  Pilate's  cruelty  begat  greater  cruelty. 
When  Pilate  brought   him   out  thus   robed   and 


292  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

crowned,  covered  with  blood  and  shame,  this  pitia- 
ble sight,  instead  of  melting  the  crowd,  only  infu- 
riated it  and  started  anew  the  cry,  ''  Crucify  him, 
crucify  him !"  It  called  forth  a  fresh  charge. 
This  last  charge  the  rulers  had  kept  in  the  back- 
ground. The  charge  was  this :  "  He  claims  to  be 
the  Son  of  God.  This  is  blasphemy,  and  accord- 
ing to  our  law  he  is  worthy  of  death." 

This  last  charge  led  Pilate  to  lead  Jesus  back 
into  the  palace  for  another  interview,  for  Pilate 
was  filled  with  a  superstitious  fear.  He  questioned 
Jesus  as  to  his  deity,  but  Jesus  answered  him  not 
a  word  about  his  deity.  This  threw  Pilate  into 
displeasure  and  led  him  to  put  on  his  dignity  again 
and  talk  of  his  power  to  release  or  crucify.  Then 
it  was  that  Christ  set  before  him  his  responsibility 
as  a  civil  ruler  to  higher  power,  and  in  love  set 
before  him  his  great  guilt. 

The  whole  scene  closes  at  this  point.  Coming 
out  from  this  interview,  Pilate  once  more  pro- 
claimed Christ's  innocence  and  offered  to  release 
him.  By  this  time  the  accusers  of  Jesus  had  be- 
come desperate.  They  had  one  more  shaft  to  hurl 
at  Pilate,  and  they  hurled  it.  It  was  the  fatal  shaft. 
It  was  a  disgrace  for  the  Jews  to  hurl  it,  but  it  con- 
quered Pilate.  They  claimed  Caesar  as  their  king 
and  threatened  Pilate  with  an  appeal  to  him.  ''  We 
have  no  king  but  Caisar.  If  thou  lettest  this  man 
go  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend,  and  we  will  bring 
accusation  against  thee  before  Caesar.  Either  con- 
demn Christ  or  lose  thy  throne."  History  tells  us 
that  on  a  prior  occasion  the  Jews  lodged  accusa- 


CHRIST  BEFORE   PILATE.  293 

tions  against  Pilate  before  Caesar  because  of  cru- 
elty, and  that  he  only  had  a  hair-breadth  escape. 
This  made  him  fearful  now  and  gave  terror  and 
force  to  the  threat  which  the  Jews  used.  To  be 
Caesar's  friend  was  Pilate's  supreme  consideration, 
and,  as  he  thought,  his  highest  worldly  interest. 
What  was  the  life  of  this  accused  man  to  his 
throne?  Pilate's  past  bad  life  was  against  him 
and  bound  him  to  do  wrong  now.  It  gave  bad  men 
a  lever  with  which  to  ply  him.  With  a  chargeable 
past,  he  dared  not  provoke  the  nation  now.  He 
had  no  stock  of  good  opinion  upon  which  to  draw. 
Many  a  man's  past  hinders  him  from  doing  what 
he  knows  to  be  right  and  what  he  wants  to  do. 
Men  point  the  finger  of  remembrance  at  his  sullied 
name,  or  they  ask  with  withering  scorn,  Dost  thou 
reprove  us?  or  they  threateningly  enjoin  silence. 
By  doing  what  is  wrong  now  we  are  making  it 
hard  to  do  right  in  the  days  to  come. 

Under  a  fear  of  losing  his  throne  Pilate  uttered 
the  unjust  sentence  against  Christ  and  delivered 
him  to  be  crucified.  It  is  true  he  washed  his 
hands  and  threw  the  responsibility  upon  the  Jews ; 
it  is  true  that  he  declared  his  innocency  of  the 
blood  of  this  just  man ;  but  it  is  just  as  true  that 
the  blood  of  Jesus  could  not  have  been  shed  if  he 
had  said,  "  No."  It  was  his  sentence  that  deliv- 
ered Christ  to  the  cross.  It  was  his  soldiers  who 
drove  the  crucial  nails  through  the  hands  and  feet 
of  Christ,  and  he  gave  the  orders  to  his  soldiers. 
The  washing  of  his  hands  was  a  mere  play  and  a 
humbug — a  cheat  foisted  upon  his  conscience. 


294  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

But  what  would  you  have  Pilate  do?  What 
would  I  have  Pilate  do  ?  I  would  have  him  give 
up  his  doublings  and  twistings  and  schemings  and 
trimming  and  crooked  ways.  I  would  have  him 
stop  his  unseemly  whiffling  and  parleying  and  dal- 
lying. I  would  have  him  substitute  principle  for 
expediency.  I  would  have  him  do  the  one  thing 
which  he  refuses  to  do.  I  would  have  him  do  his 
simple  duty  and  manfully  assume  the  responsibil- 
ity which  the  hour  and  the  place  and  the  office  lay 
upon  him.  Instead  of  issuing  the  order  to  his  sol- 
diers that  they  should  scourge  and  crucify  Christ, 
I  would  have  him  issue  this  order:  ** Soldiers  of 
Rome,  draw  your  sabres  and  form  in  solid  phalanx 
around  this  just  man  and  magnify  the  law  by  sa- 
ving his  life.  Let  justice  be  done  though  the 
heavens  should  fall."  God  opened  before  Pilate 
a  grand  opportunity.  He  might  have  taken  his 
stand  with  Paul  and  Stephen  and  John.  He 
might  have  been  a  hero  in  Christian  history  and  a 
crowned  head  away  up  in  the  shining  ranks  of 
heaven.  He  might  have  been  Christ's  friend  in- 
stead of  Caesar's  friend.  As  it  was  he  sinned 
against  light,  he  sinned  against  conscience,  he 
sinned  against  society,  he  sinned  against  an  inno- 
cent man,  and  he  reaped  the  dark  consequences  of 
his  sin. 

II.      DEDUCTIONS. 

I .  Christ  is  on  trial  to-day,  and  we  must  give  our 
decision  upon  him. 

History  is  constantly  repeating  itself.    In  every 


CHRIST   BEFORE   PILATE.  295 

age  the  question  is  asked,  What  shall  be  done  with 
Christ  ?  Shall  he  be  crowned  or  crucified  ?  Shall 
he  be  consigned  to  oblivion,  or  shall  he  be  repro- 
duced and  reincarnated?  The  old  and  exciting 
scenes  of  Jerusalem  are  constantly  being  acted 
over  again.  Christ  is  the  standing  problem. 
Morally  we  are  identified  with  the  men  of  his  day 
who  dealt  with  him  face  to  face.  We  are  Pilates 
and  Judases,  or  Johns  and  Peters.  Like  them  we 
have  to  ponder  the  question.  Who  is  Christ  ?  We 
are  catalogued  with  these  men  of  nineteen  centu- 
ries ago  according  as  we  are  for  or  against  Christ. 
If  we  surrender  Christ  into  unfriendly  hands,  we 
are  catalogued  with  Pilate.  If  we  have  not  the 
courage  to  go  against  our  self-interest  that  the 
right  may  prevail,  we  are  catalogued  with  Pilate. 
If  we  allow  the  enemies  of  Christ  to  do  our  think- 
ing and  mark  our  line  of  action,  we  are  catalogued 
with  Pilate.  If  we  do  not  give  an  early  and  an 
out-and-out  decision  for  Christ,  we  are  catalogued 
with  Pilate.  An  out-and-out  decision  for  Christ  is 
our  only  safety.  Christ  is  arraigned  and  accused 
to-day  by  the  Sanhedrin  of  passion  and  interest 
and  sophistry  ;  Christ  is  brought  to-day  before  the 
Pilate  of  reason  and  conscience ;  Christ  is  being 
nailed  to-day  to  the  cross  of  criticism  ;  the  question 
with  us  is.  Are  we  befriending  him  ? 

Men  do  not  always  realize  that  they  are  dealing 
with  Christ  and  deciding  upon  him  and  his  claims. 
This  fact  is  strikingly  brought  out  by  Christ  him- 
self in  the  picture  which  he  gives  of  the  judgment 
scene  in  the  closing   verses   of  the  twenty-fifth 


296  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

chapter  of  Matthew.  His  enemies  did  not  know 
that  they  were  dealing  with  him.  They  were 
surprised  that  they  were  charged  with  slighting 
him.  Their  answer  to  the  charge  was, ''  We  never 
saw  thee  hungry  and  thirsty,  that  we  should  neg- 
lect thee  or  deny  thee."  Christ  told  them  that 
they  saw  and  dealt  with  him  when  they  saw  and 
dealt  with  the  poor  and  needy.  His  friends  also 
saw  him  and  served  him,  and  did  not  know  that 
they  saw  him  or  served  him.  We  meet  Christ, 
and  deal  with  and  decide  upon  him,  all  the  time. 
He  is  in  every  good  cause  which  seeks  the  promo- 
tion of  his  glory.  He  is  in  every  case  of  needed 
charity.  He  is  in  every  gospel  sermon.  He  is  in 
every  true  believer  who  lives  in  union  with  him. 
He  is  in  every  right  principle.  In  dealing  with  all 
these  we  are  dealing  with  Christ  and  judging 
Christ.  We  deal  with  him  in  times  of  special 
conviction  and  decide  for  or  against  him.  We 
deal  with  him  on  every  communion  season ;  and 
we  decide  for  him  when  we  honor  him  in  the  Sup- 
per, but  we  decide  against  him  when  we  refuse  to 
honor  him  in  the  Supper.  To  join  the  sacramen- 
tal hosts  of  God's  elect  is  to  cry,  "  Hosanna !"  To 
stand  aloof  from  this  host  of  God  is  to  identify 
ourselves  with  the  crowd  which  cry,  "  Crucify !" 
No  man  living  in  a  gospel  land  can  escape  giving 
some  decision  upon  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  God  holds  us  individually  responsible  for  our  de- 
cisions with  regard  to  Christ. 

This  is  most  clearly  set  forth  in  the  case  of 
Pilate.      He  washed  his  hands  and  said,  **  I  am  in- 


CHRIST   BEFORE   PILATE.  29/ 

nocent."  But  no  handwashing  could  wash  guilt 
from  his  soul.  He  thought  that  he  had  shifted 
the  responsibility  of  his  deed  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  accusing  Jews,  but  such  a  thing  God  will 
not  allow.  The  first  act  proven  in  human  history 
was  this:  Every  one  is  personally  responsible. 
Adam  tried  to  throw  the  responsibility  of  sin  upon 
Eve ;  Eve  tried  to  throw  it  upon  the  devil.  But 
God  said,  ''You  are  all  guilty."  He  judged  them 
all  and  pronounced  sentence  upon  all.  The  very 
first  doctrine  which  God  thundered  in  the  ears  of 
the  human  race  was  the  doctrine  of  individual  re- 
sponsibility. The  very  first  sentence  which  God 
pronounced  upon  man  was  a  sentence  because  he 
did  not  think  for  himself  and  act  for  himself.  The 
first  man  was  sentenced  because  he  did  not  say 
"No."  He  should  have  said  "No"  to  his  wife 
and  "  No  "  to  the  devil.  "  No  "  is  one  of  the  most 
important  words  in  our  dealing  with  our  fellow- 
men.  It  is  a  word  necessary  to  our  independence. 
It  is  a  greater  safeguard  than  a  whole  army.  It  is 
the  protection  of  our  responsibility.  Pilate  should 
have  said  "  No  "  to  the  men  who  cried,  "  Crucify 
him  !"  But  he  did  not.  He  excused  himself  to  his 
own  conscience,  and  to  God,  by  pleading  that  he 
was  a  tool  and  compelled  by  the  force  of  circum- 
stances to  carry  out  the  dictation  of  others.  But 
such  a  plea  avails  nothing  with  God.  We  have  no 
right  to  be  a  tool.  We  have  no  right  to  surrender 
our  judgment  to  another.  We  have  no  right  to 
allow  others  to  do  our  thinking,  and  this  is  the 
meaning  of  individual  responsibility.  Though  all 
13* 


298  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSrEL. 

men  should  condemn  Christ,  we  should  stand  up 
for  him.  Let  us  to-day,  in  the  presence  of  Pilate's 
ineffectual  attempt  to  evade  his  responsibility,  take 
a  fresh  grip  upon  the  fact  that  God  will  judge  us 
personally  and  hold  us  individually  accountable. 
We  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment  seat  of 
Christ  and  give  an  account  of  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body,  whether  they  be  good  or  evil.  "  The  most 
solemn  thought  of  all  thoughts,"  said  the  greatest 
statesman  of  America,  ''is  the  thought  of  my  per- 
sonal responsibility." 

3.  We  cannot  decide  for  Christ  and  the  right  with- 
out being  subjected  to  tryiitg  opposition. 

Loyalty  to  God  has  always  meant  a  clash  with 
the  world,  and  loss  according  to  the  world's  esti- 
mation. It  means  the  furnace  of  fire  and  the  den 
of  lions.  It  means  the  beheadment  of  James  and 
the  martyrdom  of  Stephen  and  the  execution  of 
Paul.  While  this  is  so,  still  the  men  who  adhere 
to  God  and  the  right  escape  worse  things  than 
those  which  they  meet.  There  are  worse  things 
than  fiery  furnaces  and  lions'  dens  and  martyr- 
dom. There  is  the  loss  of  character  and  the  wreck 
of  manhood  and  the  wrath  of  Almighty  God  and 
the  contempt  of  public  opinion.  Yes,  the  contempt 
of  public  opinion.  For  after  all,  the  great  public 
abhor  trimmers  and  time  -  servers.  Pilate  is  un- 
popular. Just  so  surely  as  Christ  must  go  up, 
Pilate  must  go  down.  While  truth  shall  win*  in 
the  end,  in  the  meantime  no  man  can  be  a  loyal 
friend  of  the  truth  until  he  is  prepared  to  pay, 
and  willing  to  pay,  the  price  of  such  friendship. 


CHRIST   BEFORE    PILATE.  299 

4.  There  is  a  doom  awaiting  all  ivJio  treat  Christ 
U7ijustly. 

There  is  a  hereafter  with  Christ.  Christ  is  now 
before  us  for  judgment,  but  the  day  is  coming 
when  we  shall  be  before  him  for  judgment.  How 
Pilate  must  have  felt  when  word  was  brought  him 
that  Jesus  had  risen  from  the  dead  !  Christ's  res- 
urrection made  the  judgment  bar  of  God  a  fearful 
reality  to  his  mind. 

But  there  is  a  doom  for  the  ungodly  now  as 
well  as  hereafter.  If  "■  godliness  is  profitable  unto 
all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is," 
ungodliness  must  be  unprofitable  in  all  things,  and 
must  be  without  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now 
is.  No  man  can  betray  Christ  without  betraying 
himself ;  no  man  can  crucify  Christ  without  cruci- 
fying himself.  Part  of  the  doom  of  wrong-doing 
is  the  loss  of  the  very  things  after  which  we  reach 
through  wrong-doing.  Pilate,  lost  everything  he 
sought.  He  lost  the  friendship  and  favor  of  Caesar. 
The  success  of  the  wicked  is  only  apparent,  but 
not  real.  It  has  only  a  momentary  endurance. 
This  is  so  according  to  the  appointment  of  God. 
This  is  so  because  the  doom  of  injustice  is  non- 
success.  No  unjust  thing  can  stand.  No  man  can 
make  a  permanent  triumph  of  an  unjust  cause. 
Thomas  Carlyle  has  left  the  world  ringing  words 
upon  this  point :  "  I  tell  thee,  there  is  nothing  else 
but  justice.  One  strong  thing  I  find  below,  and 
that  is  the  just  thing,  the  true  thing.  My  friend,  if 
thou  hadst  all  the  artillery  of  Woolwich  marching 
at  thy  back  in  support  of  an  unjust  thing,  and  infi- 


300  STUDIES   IN  JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

nite  bonfires  visibly  awaiting  ahead  of  thee  to 
blaze  centuries  to  come  for  thy  victory  on  behalf 
of  it,  I  would  advise  thee  to  call,  '  Halt !'  to  fling 
down  thy  batoii,  and  say,  '  In  God's  name,  no !' 
What  will  thy  success  amount  to  ?  If  the  thing  is 
unjust,  thou  hast  not  succeeded,  though  bonfires 
blazed  from  north  to  south,  and  bells  rang,  and 
editors  wrote  leading  articles,  and  the  just  thing 
lay  trampled  out  of  sight  to  all  mortal  eyes,  an 
abolished  and  an  annihilated  thing." 

Keeping  out  of  sight  the  eternity  beyond,  look 
at  the  earthly  career  of  these  men  who  had  to  do 
with  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus !  See  what  overtook 
those  whose  hands  were  stained  with  his  blood ! 
Judas  failed  in  his  career.  He  could  not  hold  in 
his  hands  the  coveted  thirty  pieces  of  silver.  They 
were  red-hot  with  divine  wrath.  His  sin  made  life 
unendurable  to  him,  and  unbidden  of  God  he 
plunged  into  eternity.  Pilate's  career  was  no 
better.  He  lost  his  throne,  was  exiled  in  disgrace 
from  Rome,  and  died  a  miserable  suicide.  The 
career  of  the  Jews  was  no  better.  Divine  retribu- 
tion in  their  case  was  most  remarkable.  ''  They 
cried,  *  We  have  no  king  but  Csesar,'  and  they  had 
no  king  but  Caesar.  Csesar  after  Caesar  outraged 
and  pillaged  them,  till  at  last  their  Caesar  slaked  in 
the  blood  of  its  last  defenders  the  red  ashes  of 
their  desecrated  temple.  They  forced  the  Romans 
to  crucify  their  Christ,  and  within  forty  years  after 
that  they  themselves  were  crucified  in  myriads 
outside  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  by  the  very  same 
Romans.      They   accepted  the   guilt   of    Christ's 


CHRIST  BEFORE   PILATE.  30I 

blood,  and  the  last  pages  of  their  history  were 
glued  together  with  that  crimson  stain."  Verily 
there  is  a  doom  awaiting  all  who  treat  Christ 
unjustly.  ''  Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked  ; 
for  whatsoever  a  man  sowetb,  that  shall  he  also 
reap." 


302  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

THE  CRUCIFIXION   OF  CHRIST. 

"And  He,  bearing  His  cross,  went  forth."— John  19:17. 

Three  historical  facts  and  three  practical  de- 
ductions will  sum  up  our  study  of  the  story  of  the 
cross. 

THE   FACTS. 

I.  /esus  voluntarily  submitted  to  be  nailed  to  the 
cross. 

He  was  not  dragged  to  Calvary.  His  going 
was  the  voluntary  act  of  his  will.  This  the  narra- 
tive takes  special  pains  to  set  forth.  It  is  written, 
''And  He,  bearing  His  cross,  went  forth."  But 
was  not  this  willingness  upon  the  part  of  Jesus 
simply  prudence?  Was  it  not  to  save  himself 
from  being  roughly  handled?  What  could  he 
single-handed  do?  He  was  in  the  grasp  of  the 
Roman  army  and  at  the  mercy  of  a  pitiless  mob. 
Was  it  not  the  dictation  of  mere  prudence  that 
led  him  to»go  willingly?  No.  It  was  something 
deeper  and  higher  and  nobler  than  prudence.  It 
was  the  volition  of  love.  It  was  the  eternal  pur- 
pose of  the  covenant.  The  only  power  in  the  uni- 
verse that  could  take  Jesus  to  the  cross  was  the 
power  of  his  own  love  whereby  he  sacrificed  him- 
self for  our  sins.  The  mob  of  Nazareth  tried  to 
kill  him  before  his  time,  but  it  was  not  able.  The 
soldiers  who  were  sent  to  arrest  him  were  struck 
to  the  ground  by  the  omnipotence  which  played 


THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF   CHRIST.  303 

in  the  look  of  his  eye.  If  he  had  not  gone  with 
them  of  his  own  option  they  could  have  made  no 
arrest.  What  was  a  Roman  army  or  a  Jewish 
mob  to  Him  whose  word  could  shrivel  a  living 
tree  into  a  dead  thing,  whose  hands  held  the 
forces  of  nature,  and  whose  will  commanded  the 
legions  of  angels?  Jesus  Christ  meant  to  die. 
He  came  into  the  world  to  die,  for  this  was  the 
only  way  by  which  he  could  save  sinners.  The 
very  first  fact  in  the  opening  of  the  story  of  the 
crucifixion  is  this :  Jesus  Christ  went  to  the  cross 
of  his  own  free  will.  This  fact  exalts  the  cruci- 
fixion. It  makes  it  something  more  than  the 
mere  act  of  man  inspired  by  cruel  hate  ;  it  makes 
it  the  great  purpose  of  God.  It  makes  it  the  act 
of  Christ's  matchless  love. 

If  we  would  see  to  what  Christ  devoted  himself 
when  he  went  to  the  cross,  we  must  recall  the 
horrors  of  crucifixion.  A  picture  of  death  by 
crucifixion  is,  in  horror,  something  like  the  picture 
of  dying  from  leprosy.  To  spare  myself  the  tor- 
ture of  working  out  a  description,  I  have  selected 
this  description  wrought  out  by  Canon  Farrar: 
"  Utterly  brutal  and  revolting  was  the  punishment 
by  crucifixion.  The  condemned  man  was  first 
disrobed.  Then  came  the  awful  moment.  He 
was  laid  upon  the  instrument.  His  hands  were 
stretched  along  the  cross-beams  and  at  the  centre 
of  the  open  palms  the  point  of  a  huge  iron  nail 
was  placed,  and  the  nail  was  driven  through  the 
hands  into  the  wood  by  the  blows  of  a  mallet. 

"  Then  through  his  feet  another  huge  nail  tore 


304  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

its  way  through  the  quivering  flesh.  To  prevent 
the  hands  and  feet  from  being  torn  away  by  the 
weight  of  the  body,  which  could  not  rest  upon 
nothing  but  four  great  wounds,  there  was  placed 
about  the  centre  of  the  cross  a  wooden  projection 
strong  enough  to  support  the  body,  which  soon 
became  a  weight  of  agony.  The  accursed  tree 
with  its  living  burden  in  helpless  agony  was 
slowly  heaved  up  by  strong  arms,  and  the  end 
firmly  fixed  in  a  hole  dug  for  that  purpose.  The 
feet  of  the  sufferer  were  but  a  little  raised  from 
the  ground,  so  that  the  victim  was  within  full 
reach  of  every  hand  that  chose  to  strike  and  in 
close  proximity  to  every  gesture  of  insult  and 
hatred.  A  death  by  crucifixion  includes  all  that 
pain  and  death  can  have  of  the  horrible  and 
ghastly :  dizziness,  spasms,  thirst,  starvation,  sleep- 
lessness, fever,  horror  of  anticipation,  mortifica- 
tion of  undressed  wounds.  All  these  are  intensi- 
fied just  up  to  the  point  at  which  they  can  be  en- 
dured, but  they  stop  just  short  of  the  point  which 
would  give  the  sufferer  the  relief  of  unconscious- 
ness. The  unnatural  position  of  the  body  makes 
every  movement  painful.  The  lacerated  veins 
and  crushed  tendons  throb  with  incessant  anguish. 
The  arteries  become  swollen  and  oppressed.  The 
wounds,  inflamed  by  exposure,  gradually  gangrene. 
Added  to  all  these  is  the  pang  of  burning  and 
raging  thirst." 

It  was  to  a  death  reached  through  such  agony 
that  Jesus  gave  himself  when  he  submitted  to  be 
nailed  to  the  cross. 


THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF  CHRIST.  305 

2.  JesuSy  while  he  hung  upon  the  cross,  gave  utter- 
ance to  memorable  sayings. 

His  biographers  tell  us  that  some  of  the  say- 
ings were  uttered  in  order  to  fulfil  the  Old  Testa- 
ment predictions  concerning  the  Messiah.  It  is 
wonderful  how  minute  God  was  in  taking  precau- 
tions against  imposture.  He  outlined  the  coming 
Christ.  Hundreds  of  years  prior  to  his  advent  he 
told  how  he  should  be  born  and  what  he  should 
do  and  say.  He  also  marked  out  for  him  a  line  of 
suffering  which  no  impostor  could  have  the  cour- 
age to  meet.  Impostors  are  not  fond  of  being 
pierced  with  thorns,  of  having  their  bodies  cut  up 
with  a  scourge,  of  being  nailed  to  the  cross.  God 
guarded  the  Messiahship  by  building  around  it  an 
unscalable  mountain  of  agony  and  suffering.  The 
true  Christ  must  be  a  suffering  Christ.  He  must 
titter  the  awful  cry  of  abandonment.  He  must 
close  his  life  amid  the  agonies  of  crucifixion  and 
at  the  same  time  he  must  utter  the  calm  words  of 
faith,  "Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my 
spirit."  This  made  imposture  an  absolute  impos- 
sibility. Jesus  of  Nazareth  filled  up  the  Old  Tes- 
tament outline.  He  even  met  those  awful  suffer- 
ings predicted  of  the  Messiah  and  uttered  those 
awful  cries  of  agony  which  were  foretold.  The 
sayings,  therefore,  of  Jesus  on  the  cross  are  val- 
uable in  that  as  fulfilments  of  prophecy  they  help 
in  the  establishment  of  his  Messiahship. 

But  this  is  not  the  full  value  of  the  sayings  of 
Jesus  upon  the  cross.  They  have  a  much  wider 
out-reach.     Each  saying  opens  a  door  into  a  wide 

MmMeg   in    John's    Gospel. 


306  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

field  of  thought  and  revelation.  These  sayings 
are  like  the  Beatitudes  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount.  They  are  like  the  petitions  in  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  They  are  like  the  commandments  in  the 
Decalogue.  They  are  seven  in  all.  It  would  be 
possible  to  take  them  and  out  of  the  material  in 
them  build  up  a  magnificent  system  of  truth  for 
belief  and  a  magnificent  system  of  law  for  prac- 
tice. 

The  first  saying  is  the  prayer  which  he  offered 
for  his  enemies,  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do." 

The  second  saying  is  his  reply  to  the  penitent 
thief,  '*  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise." 

The  third  saying  is  his  address  to  his  mother 
and  to  John,  "Woman,  behold  thy  son!  [Son], 
behold  thy  mother!" 

The  fourth  saying  is  that  mysterious  cry  of 
desertion,  ''  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me  !"  This  cry  opens  a  door  into  a  field  of 
profound  thought  and  fact.  It  introduces  us  to 
the  very  soul  of  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement. 
It  tells  us  that  Christ's  death  had  a  God-ward 
bearing,  and  was  necessary  to  satisfy  divine  right- 
eousness. It  is  a  companion  cry  to  the  cry  of 
Gethsemane,  ''  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorrowful 
unto  death."  It  must  be  linked  with  such  words 
as  these:  "It  pleased  the  Lord  to  bruise  him:** 
"  He  hath  put  him  to  grief ;"  "  He  hath  made  him 
to  be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin,"  etc.  It  tells 
us  that  Christ's  death  has  a  manward  bearing,  and 
that  it  was  borne  in  man's  room  and   stead.     It 


THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF  CHRIST.  307 

must  be  linked  with  such,  words  as  these :  ''He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities;"  He  himself  ''bare  our  sins  in 
his  own  body  on  the  tree."  He  had  no  sins  of  his 
own  to  separate  between  him  and  God :  it  must 
therefore  have  been  the  sins  of  others  that  caused 
the  separation  spoken  of  in  the  cry.  This  cry 
teaches  that  on  the  cross  he  was  the  sinners'  sub- 
stitute. There  is  no  other  theory  that  can  explain 
the  divine  desertion  ;  but  this  theory  can  and  does 
explain  it.  If  God  can  desert  a  sinner,  and  he 
does,  then  it  follows  that  when  Christ  takes  the 
law-place  of  the  sinner  and  stands  in  the  sinner's 
room,  God  can  desert  Christ.  The  substitute  can 
be  treated  as  the  principal. 

The  fifth  saying  is  the  cry,  "  I  thirst !  " 
The  sixth  saying  is  the  cry,  "It  is  finished !" 
This  is  the  one  glad  cry  of  Jesus.  It  is  the  shout 
of  conquest.  The  moment  it  leaped  from  the  soul 
of  the  dying  Christ  the  harps  of  heaven  were 
struck  as  they  were  never  struck  before,  and  the 
outburst  of  a  new  song  of  praise  to  God  shook  the 
very  pillars  of  the  throne.  That  shout  is  still 
thrilling  down  the  ages,  and  the  soul  that  hears  it 
answers  it  with  the  counter  shout  of  the  inspired 
Paul,  "There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation 
to  them  which  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  This  cry  tells 
us  of  a  work  given  Jesus  to  do  upon  the  part  of 
the  Godhead,  and  it  proclaims  that  this  work  was 
done.  The  work  given  was  the  purchase  of  our 
redemption.  "  It  is  finished."  What  is  finished  ? 
The  objective  work  which  pertains  to  redemption ; 


308  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  fulfilment  of  the  law  ;  the  realization  of  the 
prophecies  which  promise  a  complete  and  all- 
satisfactory  sacrifice  for  sin ;  the  Levitical  ritual 
with  its  pictorial  act,  typifying  Calvary ;  the  sen- 
tence written  against  the  sixiner ;  all  the  demands 
of  God's  righteousness ;  everything  needed  to 
make  salvation  a  fact.  The  old  divines  used  to 
say  that  magnificent  visions  burst  in  upon  the 
soul  of  Jesus  Christ  when  he  uttered  this  cry.  He 
saw  all  the  results  of  his  death  :  the  wonderful  dis- 
play of  God's  glory,  the  delight  of  the  Father  in 
him,  the  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  re- 
deemed, and  the  coming  eternity  with  its  fulness. 
If  the  cry  of  abandonment  was  the  vSaddest  cry 
that  ever  pierced  the  air,  this  cry  of  triumph  was 
the  grandest  cry  that  ever  rang  out  in  the  uni- 
verse. Church  of  God,  this  is  the  cry  for  the  age 
and  for  the  hour.  Take  it  up  and  carry  it  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  Declare  everywhere 
that  redemption  is  finished  and  that  it  is  offered 
to  all.  Tell  the  nations  that  all  that  is  demanded 
of  man  is  simply  this:  a  trustful  acceptance  of 
Christ  and  his  completed  work. 

The  seventh  saying  is  the  one  with  which 
Christ  closes  his  sacrificial  life,  ''  Father,  into  thy 
hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 

We  could  not  do  without  these  seven  sayings 
of  the  cross.  They  are  an  integral  part  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  crucifixion  of  Jesus.  They  give  us  an 
insight  into  what  the  crucifixion  was  and  into  its 
design.  They  are  Christ's  exposition  of  his  own 
nature  and  Christ's  interpretation  of  his  own  cross. 


THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF   CHRIST.  309 

3.  Jesus,  while  he  hung  upon  the  cross,  suffered  un- 
wonted mental  agony. 

We  have  noticed  the  agony  which  came  to 
Christ  from  the  divine  desertion,  and  need  say- 
nothing  more  upon  it  as  a  source  of  mental  suffer- 
ing ;  but  we  must  say  something  upon  the  agony 
which  was  caused  by  the  actions  of  men.  All 
manner  of  indignity  was  heaped  upon  him,  and 
this  gave  him  mental  pain.  He  was  treated  far 
worse  than  the  heathen  treated  their  criminals. 
When  Socrates  died  the  words  of  loving  friends 
fell  upon  his  ears.  His  executioner  handed  him 
the  cup  of  poison  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  Jesus 
heard  nothing  but  jeers  and  cruel  mockings. 
When  Aristides  the  Just  was  executed  they  had 
to  search  Athens  through  and  through  before  they 
could  find  a  man  who  would  consent  to  spit  in  his 
face  in  the  name  of  the  State,  and  in  this  way  put 
him  under  public  contempt ;  but  men  unbidden, 
and  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  the  State,  spat  in  the 
face  of  Jesus.  Rude  men  struck  him  and  buffeted 
him  ;  the  crowds  jeered  him  ;  the  soldiers  mocked 
him ;  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  of  the  Jews  re- 
viled him.  Christ  was  reviled  and  mocked  in  all 
his  offices.  All  this  went  to  his  heart  and  caused 
him  untold  agony.  It  gave  reality  to  those  words 
which  prophecy  put  into  his  lips,  "  Reproach  hath 
broken  my  heart." 

The  reason  I  present  this  conduct  of  man  and 
quote  these  words  of  Christ,  "  Reproach  hath  bro- 
ken my  heart,"  is  that  I  may  speak  a  word  about 
the  modern  theory  as  to  the  physical  cause  of  the 


310  STUDIES    IN    JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

death  of  Christ.  The  quickness  of  his  death  was  a 
marvel.  It  was  an  exception  among  the  crucified. 
Death  by  crucifixion  usually  took  days.  Can  the 
quickness  of  Christ's  death  be  explained  ?  That  is 
the  question.  This  is  the  explanation  offered ;  it 
was  never  offered  prior  to  the  nineteenth  century : 
He  died,  not  from  the  wounds  in  his  hands  and 
feet,  but  from  the  rupture  of  his  heart.  This  rup- 
ture was  caused  by  mental  passion  and  grief. 
*'  Reproach  hath  broken  my  heart."  Death  from 
this  cause  would  harmonize  with  his  agony  in 
Gethsemane,  where  he  sweat  great  drops  of  blood 
and  where  his  soul  was  exceeding  sorrowful  even 
unto  death. 

Many  cases  are  known  to  physicians  where 
grief  and  strong  emotion  have  broken  the  heart 
and  caused  instant  death.  A  son  strikes  his  mo- 
ther with  all  his  might  in  the  face,  and  she  actu- 
ally dies  under  the  stroke.  It  is  not  the  physical 
blow  that  kills  her.  No;  it  is  the  anguish  that 
comes  from  the  thought  that  it  was  her  own  child 
who  struck  the  cruel  blow.  Post-mortem  exami- 
nation in  the  cases  of  some  who  die  from  grief 
shows  that  the  heart  is  literally  ruptured,  and  that 
the  blood  flowing  through  the  fissure  fills  the  sac 
in  which  the  heart  is  incased  and  by  its  pressure 
stops  the  action  of  the  heart. 

But  there  was  no  post-mortem  operation  per- 
formed upon  the  body  of  Christ  to  discover  the 
cause  of  his  death.  Yes,  there  was:  one  of  the 
soldiers  acted  as  the  dissecting  surgeon  and  anato- 
mist.   With  his  spear  he  pierced  the  side  of  Christ. 


THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF   CHRIST.  311 

This  Spear,  acting  as  a  surgeon's  lance,  revealed 
that  in  the  case  of  Jesus  there  happened  the  same 
thing  which  happens  when  men  die  from  a  heart- 
break caused  by  grief.  John  records  this  fact : 
"  But  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his 
side,  and  forthwith  came  there  out  blood  and  wa- 
ter." 

This  view  of  the  physical  cause  of  Christ's 
death  clearly  demonstrates  that  it  was  sin  that 
killed  Christ.  He  died,  not  so  much  from  the 
nails  driven  through  his  body,  nor  from  the  bitter 
feeling  and  the  evil  thought  which  were  in  the 
blows  that  drove  the  nails  and  made  them  pierce 
him,  but  under  the  awful  load  of  the  world's  guilt, 
for  "  the  Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us 
all." 

THE  DEDUCTIONS. 

I.  The  cross  is  the  power  of  God  for  exposing  sin 
and  for  subduing  the  sinful  heart. 

What  will  sin  do  ?  Show  us  this  and  you  give 
us  the  best  exposition  of  sin.  This  gospel  story 
tells  us  that  sin  crucified  the  Son  of  God.  It  could 
do  nothing  beyond  that.  Ring  the  changes  upon 
that  horrible  act  if  you  would  keep  sin  before  you 
in  its  true  character  and  if  you  would  guard  your- 
selves against  the  deceptions  of  the  human  heart. 
When  the  world  dignifies  sin  with  soft  and  eupho- 
nious names,  when  the  world  makes  sin  popular 
by  making  it  fashionable,  do  you  keep  repeating 
to  your  heart  this  fact,  "  Sin  crucified  the  Son  of 
God." 

But  the  cross,  as  we  have  said,  is  God's  power 


312  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

for  subduing  the  sinful  heart.  The  subduing 
power  of  the  fact  that  we  crucified  Christ,  our  best 
Friend,  may  be  illustrated  by  an  incident  which 
Bronson  Alcott  relates  as  having  taken  place  in 
his  school.  He  made  it  a  law  that  all  offences 
should  be  punished,  in  order  that  the  authority  of 
the  school  might  be  kept  inviolate.  The  punish- 
ment of  offences  he  decreed  should  be  borne  by 
himself.  He  intended  to  put  every  offending 
scholar  under  the  power  of  this  thought,  "  I  made 
my  friend  and  teacher  suffer."  So  much  for  the 
law  of  the  school ;  let  us  see  how  it  worked.  Mr. 
Alcott  gives  us  this  instance :  "  One  day  I  called 
before  me  a  pupil  eight  or  ten  years  of  age  who 
had  violated  an  important  regulation  of  the  school. 
All  the  pupils  were  looking  on,  and  they  knew 
what  the  rule  of  the  school  was.  I  put  the  ruler 
into  the  hand  of  the  offending  pupil  and  extended 
my  hand.  I  bade  him  strike.  The  instant  the 
boy  saw  my  extended  hand  and  heard  my  com- 
mand to  strike  I  saw  a  struggle  begin  in  his  face. 
A  light  sprang  up  in  his  countenance.  A  new  set 
of  shuttles  seemed  to  be  weaving  a  new  nature 
within  him.  I  kept  my  hand  extended.  The 
school  was  in  tears.  The  boy  struck  once,  and  he 
himself  burst  into  tears.  I  constantly  watched  his 
face,  and  he  seemed  in  a  bath  of  fire  which  was 
giving  him  a  new  nature.  He  had  a  different 
mood  towards  the  school  and  towards  the  violated 
law.  The  boy  seemed  transformed  by  the  idea 
that  I  should  take  chastisement  in  the  place  of  his 
punishment.     He  went  back  to  his  seat,  and  ever 


TI-IE   CRUCIFIXION   OF   CHRIST.  313 

after  he  was  one  of  the  most  docile  of  the  pupils, 
although  at  first  he  had  been  one  of  the  rudest." 
Oh  the  sight  of  Christ  suffering  for  us  !  When 
we  see  this  sight  aright,  the  words  of  God  are  ful- 
filled in  us :  **  They  shall  look  upon  me  whom 
they  have  pierced  and  they  shall  mourn." 

2.  The  cross  gives  us  a  standing  exhibition  of  the 
way  in  which  some  men  treat  Christ. 

I  wish  to  speak  especially  of  the  soldiers  at  the 
cross,  who  are  an  ancient  type  of  a  modern  class. 
They  gamble  for  the  seamless  robe  of  Christ.  To 
them  the  garments  of  Christ  were  everything,  but 
Christ  himself  was  nothing.  They  prize  the  gar- 
ments but  despise  Christ.  They  forget  that  had 
there  been  no  Christ  there  would  have  been  no 
seamless  robe  to  appropriate  and  enjoy.  The  robe 
without  Christ  had  a  certain  value,  true ;  but  with 
a  living  Christ  within  it,  it  was  infinitely  more  val- 
uable. When  Christ  was  within  the  robe  it  had 
healing  virtue,  but  when  Christ  was  crucified  it 
had  no  healing,  life-giving  power  whatever. 

There  are  multitudes  to-day  who  are  like  these 
soldiers.  For  example,  there  are  crowds  of  citi- 
zens in  this  republic  who  glory  in  the  civil  rights 
which  our  national  fathers  bequeathed,  but  they 
hate  and  crucify  the  Christ  of  our  fathers.  It  was 
under  the  inspiration  of  Christ  that  our  fathers 
sacrificed  and  fought  for  the  rights  which  they 
bequeathed.  If  there  had  been  no  Christ  there 
would  have  been  no  Plymouth  Rock  Pilgrims  in 
Massachusetts,  no  Covenanters  in  the  Carolinas, 
no  Huguenots  in  New  Jersey,  and  no  Hollanders 


314  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

« 

in  New  York.  Without  the  Plymouth  Rock  Pil- 
grims and  the  Covenanters  and  the  Huguenots 
and  the  Hollanders  there  would  have  been  no 
Revolutionary  War.  If  there  had  been  no  Revolu- 
tionary War  there  would  have  been  no  Republic  of 
the  United  States.  There  is  no  fact  more  patent 
in  history  than  this :  American  freedom  owes  its 
origin  to  Christ.  Yet  there  are  Americans  by  the 
thousand  who  would  take  the  freedom  and  crucify 
the  Christ.  But  what  is  freedom  dissociated  from 
Christ  ?  What  is  it  worth  in  comparison  with  the 
freedom  which  throbs  with  the  life  of  Christ? 
Freedom,  when  it  is  a  robe  with  the  living  Christ 
in  it,  will  cure  and  keep  in  life  the  nations  which 
touch  its  hem  ;  but  freedom,  when  it  is  a  robe  torn 
from  Christ,  will  let  the  nations  die  even  while 
they  handle  it,  own  it,  and  boast  about  it.  We 
needed  Christ  to  procure  our  liberty,  and  we  need 
Christ  to  secure  our  liberty. 

3.  The  cross  with  its  sacrifice  for  sin  opens  up  to  us 
the  only  way  of  salvation. 

"Without  the  shedding  of  blood  there  is  no 
remission  of  sin."  ''  There  is  no  other  way  under 
heaven  whereby  we  can  be  saved."  In  the  plan 
of  redemption  the  sufferings  of  Christ  are  essen- 
tial. This  Book  of  God,  which  teaches  the  way  of 
life,  knows  nothing  save  Christ  Jesus  and  him  cru- 
cified. The  cross  is  the  centre  of  the  Bible.  The 
cross  is  first  in  prophecy  and  symbol  and  type  and 
Gospel  and  Epistle  and  Apocalypse.  When  men 
ask  you,  Why  do  you  expect  to  be  saved  ?  do  not  tell 
them  that  you  are  striving  to  live  by  the  precepts 


THE   CRUCIFIXION   OF   CHRIST.  315 

» 

of  the  Saviour,  and  therefore  expect  God  to  accept 
of  you  because  of  your  obedience.  If  this  were 
the  right  thing  to  say,  if  you. could  be  saved  in  this 
way,  then  Christ  Jesus  might  have  stepped  back 
into  heaven  the  moment  he  preached  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount.  Then  Christ  might  have  turned 
his  back  on  Calvary  with  its  cross.  No.  Tell 
them  that  you  are  trusting  in  the  sacrifice  which 
Christ  offered  on  the  cross  and  in  the  death  which 
he  died  on  Calvary.  That  man  only  is  safe  who 
with  the  eye  of  faith  can  look  up  into  the  face  of 
the  crucified  Christ  and  say, 

"  Simply  to  thy  cross  I  cling." 


3l6  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 


CHRIST  RISEN. 

"  Mary  Magdalene  came  and  told  the  disciples  that  she 
HAD  seen  the  'Loru."— John  20:18. 

John's  Gospel  closes  its  narrative  of  the  earthly- 
life  of  Jesus  Christ  with  the  story  of  his  resurrec- 
tion. It  is  a  living  Christ  that  looks  out  of  its  last 
page.  When  we  have  finished  reading  this  Gos- 
pel, the  picture  which  we  take  with  us  is  the 
thrilling  picture  of  the  empty  tomb  and  the  She- 
china  chariot  passing  out  of  human  sight  into 
the  world  above.  How  else  could  the  biography 
of  Jesus  end  ?  There  must  be  a  fitness  in  things. 
But  no  other  Jiua/e  would  answer  the  fitness  of 
things.  It  would  never  do  to  end  the  gospel 
story  with  Jesus  writhing  under  the  scourge  or 
with  Jesus  agonizing  on  the  cross  or  with  Jesus 
pale  and  dead  in  the  tomb.  That  would  cause  the 
world  to  close  the  Book  of  his  biography  with  a 
chill  of  horror  and  not  with  a  thrill  of  joy.  The 
story  of  the  Christ  must  end  as  magnificently  as  it 
began,  or  else  there  will  be  a  mis-match.  On  the 
first  page  of  his  biography  is  the  miracle  of  the 
Incarnation,  with  the  singing  angels  and  the  flash- 
ing glory ;  on  the  last  page  of  his  biography  there 
must  be  the  miracle  of  the  Resurrection  and  the 
angels  guarding  the  empty  tomb  and  the  dawn- 
ing twilight  of  the  Ascension  splendor.  The 
book  of  the  Gospel  must  close  with  a  picture  of 


CHRIST   RISEN.  317 

the  living  Christ.  The  fitness  of  things  demands 
this.  The  interest  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  de- 
mands this,  for  only  such  a  Christ  can  take  hold 
of  men,  enter  their  lives,  and  keep  them  loyal  to 
his  authority. 

In  treating  the  resurrection  of  Christ  we  are 
oppressed  with  a  sense  of  its  tremendous  impor- 
tance. No  fact  excels  it.  No  fact  carries  so  much 
in  it.  Christianity  stands  or  falls  with  it.  Risen, 
or  not  risen  ?  that  is  the  question.  If  Christ  be 
not  risen,  then  his  character  is  a  wreck,  and  a 
wreck  from  which  it  is  impossible  to  save  any- 
thing of  any  value.  What  would  be  said  of  a 
modem  teacher  or  leader  who  encouraged  men  to 
give  up  all  their  prospects  in  life  upon  the  strength 
of  promises  which  were  never  to  be  realized,  and 
which  he  knew  would  never  be  realized  ?  Such  a 
leader  is  the  unrisen  Christ.  If  Christ  be  not 
risen,  then  Christianity  has  been  propagating  a 
lie  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  truth,  then  the  three 
hundred  million  Christians  on  the  globe  who  be- 
lieve that  he  is  alive  have  been  following  a  mere 
fancy,  a  baseless  fiction,  a  nonentity,  a  deception. 
They  have  been  mocked  in  the  very  highest  attri- 
butes of  their  nature.  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then 
there  is  nothing  left  of  that  beautiful  Christ-story 
and  that  wonderful  Christ-kingdom  save  shadows 
of  failure  and  ashes  of  disappointment. 

But  if  Christ  be  risen,  what  then?  Then 
Christianity  is  divine  and  true,  and  everything 
that  conflicts  with  Christianity  is  human  and  false. 
Then  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  what  he  claimed  to  be, 


3l8  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

the  Son  of  God.  Then  redemption  on  Calvary  is 
a  glorious  reality.  Then  life  beyond  the  grave  is 
a  fact.  Then  the  sanctity  of  the.  Perfect  Man  is 
unassailable.  Then  the  coming  triumph  of  good- 
ness is  certain  and  indisputable.  Risen,  or  not 
risen  ?  that  is  the  question  of  all  questions.  In 
dealing  with  the  question  we  take  this  position: 
The  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  historical 
fact,  and  as  such  it  is  substantiated  by  infallible 
proofs.  It  needs  clear  and  strong  evidence  in 
order  to  beget  clear  and  strong  faith.  It  is  an 
easy  thing  to  establish  a  fact.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary is  the  testimony  of  eye-witnesses.  We  deal 
with  and  establish  facts  every  day.  Most  of  the 
facts  with  which  we  deal  and  upon  which  we  act 
are  unseen  to  us.  They  are  established  by  the 
testimony  of  others. 

Let  me  resort  to  illustration :  We  believe  that 
eighty  years  before  the  resurrection  of  Christ, 
Julius  Caesar,  with  two  Roman  legions,  landed  in 
England  on  the  coast  of  Kent.  No  one  thinks  of 
doubting  that.  If  eternal  salvation  depended  on 
believing  it,  every  student  of  history  would  be 
certain  of  heaven.  Yet  the  actual  historic  proof 
of  this  is  far  less  complete  and  cogent  and  con- 
vincing than  is  the  proof  that  Christ  died  and 
rose  again.  Men  believe  without  any  doubt  or 
difficulty  in  the  Sabine  farm  of  Horace  where  his 
friends  quaffed  the  Falernian  wine.  We  believe 
that  Virgil  died  on  a  journey  and  that  he  lies 
buried,  at  his  own  request,  at  the  second  mile- 
stone from  Naples  on  the  Puteolan  way.     I  have 


CHRIST   RISEN.  319 

in  my  possession  a  leaf  which  grew  upon  his 
grave,  plucked  by  a  sister's  hand  on  her  journey 
to  Syria  and  sent  to  me  as  a  remembrancer.  We 
believe  in  the  plough  of  Cincinnatus  and  in  the 
poison-cup  of  Socrates. 

To  come  a  little  nearer  home  and  into  our  own 
age :  we  believe  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  Why?  Because 
George  Washington  and  Thomas  Jefferson  and 
John  Adams  and  their  contemporaries  have  said 
so.  Because,  when  we  were  born,  we  found  our 
fathers  celebrating  the  Fourth  of  July  as  a  me- 
morial of  the  fact.  We  believe  that  there  is  such 
a  city  as  Rome.  Why  ?  Because  those  who  have 
seen  that  city  declare  that  it  does  exist.  Our  con- 
viction as  to  its  existence  could  not  be  firmer 
though  we  travelled  the  seven  hills,  explored  the 
crumbling  Coliseum,  and  looked  upon  the  forum 
where  Tully  thundered  and  Caesar  stood.  Just  as 
we  have  come  to  a  belief  in  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence and  in  the  existence  of  Rome,  so  we 
may  come  to  a  belief  in  the  fact  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection. No  man  can  deny  it  without  striking  a 
deadly  blow  at  all  history. 

It  is  perfectly  reasonable  to  suppose  that  Christ 
would  make  such  a  stupendous  fact  easy  of  estab- 
lishment. To  make  it  difficult  of  establishment 
would  be  to  throw  his  infinite  sacrifice  into  peril 
and  risk.  When  he  founded  his  religion  Christ 
said,  "  My  religion  shall  consist  of  plain  facts 
which  can  be  seen  and  handled  and  attested  and 
which  can  be  submitted  to  the  common  laws  of 


320  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

evidence."  Acting  according  to  this  intention,  at 
the  beginning  of  his  public  life  he  chose  a  com- 
pany of  men  who  should  be  with  him  to  hear  and 
see  everything,  that  they  might  be  ready  at  the 
right  time  to  give  testimony  as  his  witnesses. 
Nothing  could  be  simpler  than  this.  No  method 
of  establishing  the  facts  of  his  religion  could  be 
more  effective.  It  put  his  cause  upon  the  same 
basis  with  all  other  great  historical  movements 
which  have  influential  and  unquestioned  standing 
among  men.  If  men  are  to  be  consistent  with 
themselves,  they  must  believe  the  facts  concern- 
ing Jesus  Christ,  for  the  same  reason  that  they 
believe  the  facts  concerning  Napoleon  and  Wash- 
ington. We  do  not  make  as  much  of  the  histori- 
cal argument  in  favor  of  Christianity  as  we  ought. 
It  is  simple  and  strong  and  irresistible. 

"  If  we  think  of  the  gospel  as  a  set  of  truths, 
spiritual,  moral,  intellectual,  then  the  way  to  prove 
the  gospel  is  to  show  the  consistency  of  that  body 
of  truths  with  one  another,  their  consistency  with 
other  truths,  their  derivation  from  admitted  prin- 
ciples, their  reasonableness,  their  adaptation  to 
man's  nature,  and  thus  on.  But  if  we  think  of  the 
gospel  as  being  first  a  set  of  historical  facts,  facts 
which  carry  the  doctrines  in  themselves,  then  the 
way  to  establish  the  gospel  is  the  same  as  that  by 
which  you  would  establish  any  other  fact,  viz.,  by 
the  testimony  of  those  who  can  say,  '  We  know  it 
to  be  so,  for  we  saw  it !'"  Dr.  Arnold,  a  man  far 
famed  for  his  mental  power  and  research,  writes : 
"  I  have  been  used  for  many  years  to  study  the 


CHRIST   RISEN.  3^1 

history  of  other  times,  and  to  examine  and  weigh 
the  evidences  of  those  who  have  written  about 
them,  and  I  know  of  no  one  fact  in  the  history  of 
mankind  which  is  proved  by  better  and  fuller  evi- 
dence of  every  sort  to  the  mind  of  a  fair  inquirer 
than  the  great  sign  which  God  has  given  us,  that 
Christ  died  and  rose  again  from  the  dead."  There 
are  three  lines  of  argument  upon  which  I  wish  to 
dwell. 

I.  As  a  historical  fact  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
is  established  by  other  facts  which  grow  out  of  it  and 
which  are  connected  with  it.  These  facts  witness  to 
Christ's  resurrection. 

Whence  this  great  organization?  Where  did 
it  get  its  missionary  life?  It  got  it  from  the 
words  of  a  resurrected  Christ,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  .  f^^J^ 
world  and  preach  my  gospel."  What  gospel  does  ^^^^^^ 
it  bring  to  the  world  ?  The  gospel  of  the  Resur- 
rection. This  is  its  creed,  *' If  thou  shalt  confess 
with  thy  mouth  that  Jesus  is  Lord,  and  shalt  be- 
lieve in  thy  heart  that  God  raised  him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."  (Rom.  10:9.)  But 
what  is  the  Christian  Church  ?  It  is  an  organiza- 
tion linked  to  the  days  of  the  apostles  by  an  un- 
broken history.  It  is  the  fruit  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection. It  stands  related  to  Christ's  resurrection 
just  as  this  Republic  stands  related  to  the  patriot- 
ism of  the  Revolutionary  heroes. 

The  Christian  Sabbath  is  a  witnessing  fact. 
The  Christian  Sabbath  was  not  the  original  Sab- 
bath. The  Jews  in  our  midst  with  their  seventh- 
day  Sabbath  are  the  proof  of  this.     By  their  sev- 

StuUics   in    John'B    Gospel.  1 4 


322  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

enth  day  Sabbath-keeping  tbey  are  raising  the 
question  from  pole  to  pole, ''  Why  do  the  Jews  and 
Christians  keep  a  different  Sabbath  ?  They  are 
unwilling  witnesses  to  Christ,  but  witnesses.  The 
answer  to  this  question  brings  out  the  history  of 
the  Christian  Sabbath.  This  is  its  history :  The 
Christian  Sabbath  is  kept  as  a  memorial  of  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  as  such  it  dates 
back  to  the  apostles  who  saw  the  risen  One.  Such 
was  the  firm  faith  of  the  early  universal  Christian 
Church  in  the  resurrection  of  Christ  that,  with 
one  consent,  they  set  apart  the  first  day  of  the 
week  to  celebrate  the  fact.  As  the  continuity  of 
the  Christian  Sabbath  for  nineteen  centuries  is  a 
fact  of  history  which  is  undeniable,  the  Christian 
Sabbath  stands  before  us  as  God's  great  monu- 
ment upon  which  is  inscribed  the  faith  of  these 
long  centuries.  In  the  Christian  Sabbaths  which 
have  blessed  the  earth  we  have  a  grand  chain  of 
time  which  is  made  out  of  the  links  of  weeks. 
Taking  hold  of  the  last-formed  link  and  throwing 
our  might  into  one  long,  strong,  testing  pull,  we 
can  feel  the  rebound  which  tells  us  that  the  far- 
away first  link  is  securely  fastened  to  an  eternal 
reality.  I  would  as  soon  doubt  the  fact  commem- 
orated by  the  Fourth  of  July  as  doubt  the  fact 
commemorated  by  the  Lord's  Day. 

2.  As  a  historical  fact  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
is  established  by  the  testiino7iy  of  competent  witnesses. 

Our  source  of  information  and  authority  is  the 
New  Testament.  This  Book  introduces  us  to  the 
witnesses  and  furnishes  us  with  a  copy  of  their 


CHRIST   RISEN.  323 

testimony.  According  to  the  New  Testament 
there  are  two  classes  of  witnesses,  viz.,  Christ's 
enemies  and  Christ's  friends.  It  is  important  to 
notice  that  there  are  some  things  which  are  ad- 
mitted by  both  classes.  They  agree  upon  three 
things  at  least :  First,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  dead. 
Second,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  buried  in  the  tomb 
of  Joseph,  which  was  closed  with  a  great  stone, 
was  sealed  with  the  Roman  seal,  and  was  guarded 
by  a  Roman  guard.  Third,  that  on  the  morning 
of  the  third  day  the  tomb  was  empty. 

The  enemies  of  Christ  had  every  reason  and 
motive  to  account  for  the  empty  tomb  and  to  ex- 
plain it  to  the  dishonor  of  Christ.  The  very  same 
hate  and  envy  that  surrounded  the  cross  sur- 
rounded the  tomb.  Nevertheless  we  are  bound 
candidly  to  listen  to  what  these  enemies  say. 
How  do  they  account  for  the  empty  tomb  ?  They 
persuaded  the  Roman  soldiers  to  say,  '*  While  we 
slept  the  disciples  of  Jesus  came  and  stole  his 
body  away."  They  paid  the  soldiers  large  sums 
for  this  testimony.  Would  they  make  such  a  use 
of  money?  They  would.  They  had  already 
bought  Judas  Iscariot  with  money.  But  why 
should  the  soldiers  be  paid  for  telling  the  truth  ? 
Look  at  their  story !  It  falls  to  pieces  of  itself. 
It  is  confessedly  the  testimony  of  sleeping  men. 
"  While  we  slept  his  disciples  came  and  stole  his 
body."  They  saw  nothing.  They  were  asleep. 
They  heard  nothing.  They  were  asleep.  As 
sleeping  men,  they  were  dead  to  everything  tran- 
spiring.    To  admit  that  they  slept  was  to  admit 


324  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

that  they  knew  nothing",  and  were  therefore  in- 
competent. Their  testimony  was  only  a  conjec- 
ture, but  conjecture  is  not  evidence.  No  court  of 
law  will  allow  facts  to  be  buried  by  theories  -and 
conjectures.  Conjectures  and  theories  are  all  that 
the  enemies  of  Christ  have  produced.  Men  and 
brethren,  this  story  which  falls  to  pieces  of  itself 
is  the  best  story  that  the  enemies  of  Christ  have 
ever  gotten  up  as  an  explanation  of  the  empty 
tomb. 

It  has  been  said  by  the  enemies  of  Christ  that 
the  witnesses  of  the  resurrection  deliberately  bore 
false  testimony,  in  order  to  deceive  the  world. 
That  is  no  better  than  the  soldiers'  story,  because 
there  was  no  possible  or  conceivable  motive  to 
induce  the  disciples  of  Jesus  to  deceive  the  world. 
If  Christ  rose  not,  they  were  deceived  themselves, 
and  it  would  have  been  human  nature  for  them  to 
brand  their  cruel  deceiver  with  infamy  instead  of 
glorifying  him  by  the  proclamation  that  he  had 
risen.  It  is  not  human  nature  to  treat  deceivers 
as  though  they  were  saints.  But  mark  what  the 
disciples  met  with  because  they  proclaimed  the 
resurrection  of  Christ !  They  were  persecuted  by 
those  who  crucified  Christ.  They  were  scourged 
and  stoned  and  exiled.  Are  these  the  things 
which  tempt  men  to  become  impostors  ? 

Besides  all  this,  we  must  keep  before  us  the 
results  which  the  fact  of  Christ's  resurrection 
worked  in  these  witnesses.  It  lifted  them  out  of 
their  old  selves  and  made  them  new  men.  They 
rose  to  higher  faith  and  higher  work.     They  gave 


CHRIST   RISEN.  325 

the  world  its  purest  doctrines  and  principles  and 
ideals.  Their  raised  character  is  a  proof  of  the 
raised  Christ.  The  tree  of  falsehood  has  never 
grown  such  lives  as  the  after-lives  of  the  witnesses 
of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 

When  the  theory  of  deception  fails  to  smother 
the  great  fact,  it  is  suggested  that  perhaps  the  wit- 
nesses of  the  resurrection  were  true  in  themselves, 
but  labored  under  a  delusion.  Perhaps  their  in- 
tense desire  to  have  Christ  rise  from  the  dead  led 
them  to  imagine  that  they  saw  him.  There  is 
more  modesty  in  this  theory.  But  it  does  not  fit 
the  facts  any  more  than  the  former  theory.  The 
resurrection  had  no  place  in  the  thoughts  of  the 
disciples  prior  to  the  time  when  it  took  place. 
They  refused  to  believe  it  when  it  was  first  an- 
nounced. They  had  forgotten  all  that  Christ  had 
said  about  it.  It  is  true  that  his  wonderful  life 
ought  to  have  kept  them  from  forgetting ;  but  it 
did  not.  His  very  miracles  made  his  death  all  the 
more  crushing.  The  disciples  reasoned  that  if  he 
could  have  prevented  his  death  he  would  have 
done  so,  but  his  power  gave  out.  True,  he  claimed 
that  it  was  his  arm  that  upheld  the  universe,  but 
they  saw  that  arm  stark  and  stiff,  and  that  neutral- 
ized his  claim.  To  the  disciples  the  death  of 
Christ  contradicted  everything  that  went  before. 
It  left  them  panic-stricken  and  in  grief.  To  show 
us  that  the  disciples  were  not  looking  for  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus,  and  that  they  believed  only  when 
strong  evidence  was  presented,  we  have  such  inci- 
dents as  those  recorded  of  Peter  and  John.    When 


326  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

word  was  brought  them  that  the  tomb  of  Christ 
was  empty,  they  did  not  say,  "  That  is  what  we  ex- 
pected, for  he  is  risen."  No.  They  could  not 
believe  that  the  grave  was  untenanted,  and  they 
ran  to  the  sepulchre  to  see  for  themselves.  The 
trueness  of  this  story  shines  out  in  every  part. 
John  is  John,  and  Peter  is  Peter.  They  act  them- 
selves, and  the  details  which  seem  unnecessary  to 
the  casual  reader  bring  this  out  and  stamp  the 
story  as  genuine.  According  to  this  story,  John 
was  the  first  to  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus. 
He  was  the  disciple  of  love,  and  love  sees  farthest 
and  quickest.  How  was  he  led  to  faith  ?  He  tells 
us  himself.  He  was  led  to  faith  by  what  he  saw  in 
the  empty  tomb.  He  saw  the  grave-clothes  folded 
and  orderly  arranged,  the  linen  in  one  place  and 
the  napkin  in  another.  That  was  what  arrested 
his  attention  and  occupied  his  thought  and  led 
him  to  the  conclusion  that  Christ  had  risen.  He 
reasoned  that  here  was  the  evidence  of  delibera- 
tion, leisure,  calmness,  and  perfect  freedom.  There 
was  no  robbery,  for  the  signs  of  robbery  are  confu- 
sion and  disorder.  Foes  did  not  take  the  body 
away,  for  they  would  not  have  taken  such  care ; 
but  here  are  the  evidences  of  care.  Friends  did 
not,  for  the  soldiers  were  here  to  keep  off  friends. 
Besides  the  body  was  in  the  tomb  of  a  friend  and 
could  not  be  in  a  better  place.  Then  what  does  all 
this  mean  ?  As  he  mused,  the  explanation  came 
to  him.  He  remembered  the  words  of  Christ  about 
rising  on  the  third  day,  and  there  and  then  in  the 
empty  sepulchre  he  believed.     These  are  his  own 


CHRIST   RISEN.  327 

words:  "Then  went  in  also  that  other  disciple, 
which  came  first  to  the  sepulchre,  and  he  saw  and 
believed !"  He  did  not  need  to  wait  to  look  upon 
Christ.  He  was  the  very  opposite  of  Thomas. 
That  beatitude  which  Christ  pronounced  in  the 
hearing  of  Thomas  was  his:  "Thomas,  because 
thou  hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed :  blessed  are 
they  that  have  not  seen  and  yet  have  believed  !" 

Take  up  a  second  story,  namely,  that  of  Mary. 
To  her  the  empty  tomb  meant  the  body  hurried 
away  in  dishonor.  This  was  the  cause  of  her  grief. 
If  she  is  ever  to  believe  in  a  risen  Christ,  she  must 
see  him.  Christ  knows  this,  and  so  shows  himself 
to  her.  He  came  to  her  and  called  her  by  name, 
and  she  knew  him  by  his  voice,  for  it  rang  with 
the  old  notes  of  love.  This  was  the  way  this  wit- 
ness was  convinced.  It  was  different  from  the  way 
any  other  witness  was  convinced.  The  witnesses 
of  the  resurrection  were  convinced  according  to 
their  nature  and  disposition,  and  so  the  proof 
comes  to  us  along  all  manner  of  lines.  To  Mary 
was  granted  the  first  appearance,  because  of  the 
intensity  of  her  love.  The  first  honor  was  placed 
upon  the  first  grace,  the  crowning  grace  of  the 
Christian  life. 

With  this  story  of  Mary  before  me  I  ask  my- 
self, What  is  the  proof  which  the  New  Testament 
gives  us  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  Out 
of  the  story  comes  the  answer :  The  proof  which 
the  New  Testament  gives  us  of  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  is  the  living  Christ  himself  and  his  post- 
resurrection  life.    We  are  told  nothing  as  to  how 


328  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

he  rose,  but  we  are  introduced  to  him  as  risen.  If 
we  had  the  details  of  the  process  of  his  resurrec- 
tion, our  thoughts  would  run  off  on  a  hundred 
non-important  and  non-essential  lines.  The  New 
Testament  hides  out  of  our  sight  all  non-essentials. 
It  sets  before  us  the  risen  Christ.  What  more  do 
we  need?  Allow  me  an  illustration.  You  want 
to  prove,  for  example,  that  the  little  black  seed  can 
rise  out  of  its  present  inactive,  cold,  and  death- 
locked  form,  and  become  a  living  force,  producing 
flowers  robed  with  beauty  and  filled  with  fra- 
grance. What  would  be  the  most  effective  way  of 
establishing  this  ?  Would  you  take  up  time  in  tell- 
ing of  germination  and  of  the  way  trunk  and  leaf 
are  built  up  ?  No.  There  is  a  more  effective  way 
than  that.  Bring  forward  the  full-formed  flower 
and  let  it  fill  the  atmosphere  with  its  fragrance. 
The  flower,  beautiful  and  golden-tinted  and  sym- 
metrical, the  flower,  delightsome  with  its  fra- 
grance— this  is  the  best  proof.  It  is  proof  not  only 
that  the  little  black  seed  can  rise  into  life,  but  it  is 
proof  also  that  the  little  black  seed  has  risen  into 
life  and  has  exchanged  its  blackness  for  beauty. 

Among  the  witnesses  who  testified  that  they 
had  seen  the  risen  Christ  were  persons  who  had  all 
manner  of  experiences  with  him  and  all  manner 
of  opportunity  for  testing  his  identity.  The  proofs 
afforded  them  were  infallible.  They  walked  with 
him,  looked  him  in  the  face,  handled  him,  exam- 
ined the  scars  of  crucifixion,  ate  with  him,  talked 
with  him.  Who  were  granted  these  privileges? 
His  mother,  his  comrades  of  childhood,  the  men 


CHRIST   RISEN.  329 

who  had  been  with  him  night  and  day  for  three 
years,  his  chosen  apostles.  These  were  the  people 
who  knew  Christ  best.  These  people  could  not  be 
deceived.  If  it  be  possible  to  believe  any  com- 
pany of  people,  it  is  possible  to  believe  them. 
They  bore  their  testimony  in  the  very  place  where 
Christ  died  and  on  the  very  day  he  rose.  They 
proclaimed  his  resurrection  to  his  enemies,  and 
three  thousand  of  his  crucifiers,  who  had  ample 
opportunity  to  look  into  all  the  facts,  in  a  single 
day  came  out  and  confessed  their  faith  in  Christ  as 
risen. 

^.  As  a  historical  fact  the  resurrection  of  Christ 
rests  upon  an  authenticated  record  of  sufficient  evidence. 

Conclusive  as  is  the  testimony  presented,  still 
there  is  one  question  more  suggested,  and  I  think 
it  only  right  to  deal  with  it.  It  is  this :  Have  we  a 
true  record  ?  Are  these  the  facts  in  the  case  ?  Can 
the  genuineness  and  credibility  of  the  gospel  nar- 
rative be  proven  ?  This  is  a  vital  question.  If  the 
New  Testament  cannot  be  authenticated,  then 
everything  falls  to  the  ground  ;  but  if  it  can  be 
authenticated,  then  everything  stands.  Let  me 
say  in  dealing  with  this  question  that  the  claims  of 
no  book  have  been  more  thoroughly  sifted  than  the 
claims  of  this  Book.  The  desire  to  sift  it  has  given 
rise  in  modern  times  to  a  new  science  :  the  science 
of  Hermeneutics.  The  sifting  goes  on,  and  out  of 
the  sifting  comes  new  confirmation.  The  old 
divines  tell  us,  by  way  of  confirming  the  New  Tes- 
tament account  of  Christ's  resurrection,  that  there 
was  a  public  debate  in  the  Roman  Senate  upon  the 


330  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

proposal  to  receive  Jesus  as  one  of  the  gods  of 
Rome,  and  that  the  fact  of  his  resurrection  was 
used  as  an  argument.  They  tell  us  also  that  in 
*'  The  Acts  of  Pilate,"  filed  away  in  the  archives  of 
Rome,  there  was  a  direct  reference  to  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus,  and  that  Tertullian  appealed  to  this 
record  while  it  was  in  existence.  Interesting  as 
these  things  are,  they  are  fragmentary,  and  we  will 
not  build  upon  them.  We  admit  that  we  do  not 
have  the  autograph  copy  of  the  New  Testament. 
The  Book  as  we  now- have  it  was  collated  in  the 
course  of  long  years.  Part  was  found  here  and 
part  there,  one  tract  in  one  country  and  another 
tract  in  another  country.  Fragment  was  found  by 
this  man,  and  fragment  by  that  man.  What  a  mar- 
vellous history !  But  does  not  this  invalidate  the 
Book  ?  Modern  research  answers  the  question,  and 
shows  us  that  God  never  let  the  Book  out  of  his 
hand.  During  our  lifetime  the  two  oldest  and 
fullest  manuscripts  of  the  New  Testament  have 
been  found  in  old  convents.  These  manuscripts 
are  known  as  the  Vatican  and  Sinaitic.  These 
were  written  as  far  back  as  A.  D.  325.  When  we 
compare  our  collated  New  Testament  with  these 
copies,  what  does  the  comparison  show?  This, 
namely,  there  is  not  enough  difference  to  change 
a  single  doctrine.  That  certainly  is  marvellous. 
But  there  are  three  hundred  years  between  the 
writing  of  these  manuscripts  and  the  time  of 
Christ.  Can  these  three  hundred  years  be  bridged  ? 
Happily,  yes.  Fortunately  these  three  centuries 
abound   in  Christian  writers,  and  the  works  of 


CHRIST   RISEN.  33 1 

many  of  these  writers  stand  upon  the  shelves  of 
our  libraries  to-day.  I  have  handled  them  with 
my  own  hands.  In  these  extant  works  there  are 
multitudinous  quotations  from  the  New  Testa- 
ment accompanied  with  comments  and  expositions. 
From  these  it  is  possible  to  collect  the  greater  part 
of  the  New  Testament.  These  quotations  prove 
that  the  New  Testament  was  written  when  it  is 
claimed  that  it  was  written. 

To  specify  by  way  of  example  :  We  have  the 
writings  of  Clement,  the  friend  and  companion  of 
Paul.  If  the  writings  of  Paul  were  blotted  out,  we 
could  get  the  Pauline  doctrines  from  him.  Clem- 
ent died  A.  D.  102. 

For  example,  we  have  the  writings  of  Polycarp, 
the  disciple  of  John  :  these  give  us  the  teachings 
of  John.  These  early  fathers  whose  writings  we 
have  connect  us  with  the  apostles,  and  the  apostles 
take  us  right  back  to  Jesus. 

Now  from  all  this  we  see  that  the  authenticity 
of  no  book  is  more  clearly  established  than  the 
authenticity  of  the  New  Testament.  It  is  an  au- 
thenticated New  Testament  that  brings  to  us  the 
infallible  proofs,  the  indisputable  evidence,  of  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 

VALUE   OF   CHRIST'S   RESURRECTION. 

There  is  no  fact  so  mighty  as  a  spiritual  power. 
It  begets  a  resurrection  within  us.  It  gives  us  a 
new  sense  of  the  largeness  of  life.  It  starts  spirit- 
ual possibilities  leaping  in  the  soul.  It  bridges 
earth  and  heaven  and  brings  over  to  earth  the  vital- 


332  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S    GOSPEL. 

ity  of  heaven.    It  roots  our  life  in  the  risen  Christ 
and  puts  the  fulness  of  heaven  at  our  disposal. 

In  a  Scottish  valley,  beside  a  little  brook,  where 
there  was  no  kindly  soil,  a  Highlander  once 
planted  a  tree.  Of  course  it  wilted  and  drooped. 
But  suddenly,  to  the  surprise  of  every  one,  it  took 
a  new  start  in  life,  and  bore  rich  fruit.  What  was 
the  source  of  its  new  life  ?  That  was  the  query 
put  by  all  who  knew  it.  An  examination  revealed 
the  secret.  With  a  marvellous  vegetable  instinct, 
it  sent  out  a  shoot  which  ran  along  and  over  a  nar- 
row sheep -bridge  and  rooted  itself  in  the  rich 
loam  on  the  other  side  of  the  brook.  From  this 
rich  loam  it  drew  its  new  life.  Even  so  the  res- 
urrection of  Jesus  bridges  the  river  of  death  that 
flows  between  earth  and  heaven,  and  the  souls  of 
men  who  see  this  and  know  this  send  out  the 
shoot  of  faith,  and  this  running  over  the  bridge 
roots  itself  in  the  eternal  realities  beyond  and 
draws  spiritual  life  from  the  very  fulness  of  God. 


THE   RISEN   CHRIST  AND   HIS   DISCIPLES.      333 


THE  RISEN  CHRIST  AND  HIS  DISCIPLES. 

"  This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus  showed  himself  to 
HIS  disciples  after  that  he  was  risen  from  the  dead." — 
John  21:14. 

There  is  no  part  of  the  biography  of  the  Christ 
more  important  than  the  period  of  the  forty  days 
between  his  resurrection  and  ascension.  It  was  an 
introduction  to  the  New  Dispensation,  for  Jesus 
spent  it  in  ''  speaking  of  the  things  pertaining  to 
the  kingdom  of  God."  It  was  a  season  of  prepara- 
tion to  Jesus  for  his  return  to  heaven,  when  the 
everlasting  gates  were  to  open  and  allow  the  King 
of  glory  entrance.  It  was  a  time  of  large  instruc- 
tion to  the  disciples.  Hitherto  they  had  been  un- 
prepared for  the  things  now  revealed.  It  was  the 
prelude  to  the  wonderful  things  of  Pentecost.  Let 
no  one  overlook  the  riches  of  this  portion  of  our 
Lord's  life  or  the  number  of  important  facts  and 
doctrines  and  principles  brought  to  view  during 
these  interviews.  By  his  appearance  to  his  disci- 
ples the  Master  demonstrated  that  he  was  the 
same  unchanged  Jesus,  loving  and  forgiving  and 
sympathizing  as  in  the  old  days. 

No  part  of  the  history  of  the  Forty  Days  is 
more  interesting  than  this  chapter  which  records 
Christ's  third  appearance  to  his  associated  disci- 
ples. Four  times  he  had  appeared  to  separate  dis- 
ciples ;  this  was  the  third  time  he  appeared  to  the 
disciples  in  a  company. 


334  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S    GOSPEL. 

The  leading  apostolic  figure  in  this  epiphany- 
is  Peter,  and  the  leading  fact  is  his  restoration  by 
the  Master  to  apostolic  work.  All  else  recorded  is 
incidental.  The  lessons  of  the  chapter  centre 
around  his  reinstallation. 

Bible  critics  call  this  twenty-first  chapter  of 
John  a  postscript  to  his  Gospel.  It  has  been  said 
that  the  aged  John  was  in  the  habit  of  telling  the 
interesting  story  which  it  contains,  and  that  his 
disciples,  who  were  charmed  by  it,  urged  him  to 
add  it  to  his  Gospel,  that  all  the  ages  might  have 
it  and  be  blessed  through  it.  Postscript  or  no 
postscript,  the  chapter  fits  the  Gospel  and  makes  a 
grand  ending.  Now  that  we  have  it  we  do  not  see 
how  we  could  do  without  it.  There  would  be  a 
mysterious  gap  if  it  were  not  here.  It  is  a  bridge 
from  Peter  of  the  denial  to  Peter  of  Pentecost. 
We  must  be  told  of  the  restoration  of  the  fallen 
Peter  and  of  his  reinstatement  in  the  apostolate  in 
order  that  we  may  understand  why  he  should  hold 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow-apostles  and  lead  them 
in  the  march  of  the  cross.  The  denier  of  Christ — 
the  leader  of  the  cause  of  Christ !  This  must  be 
explained.  This  story  explains  it.  The  man  who 
renounced  Christ  and  his  cause  is  back  in  his  old 
place  because  Christ  sought  him  and  reclaimed 
him  and  forgave  him  and  restored  him.  Christ 
came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost,  to  give  man  a 
knowledge  of  himself  as  a  sinner,  to  call  man  to 
repentance,  to  purchase  for  man  and  give  to  him 
a  pardon  for  sin,  to  lift  him  into  a  life  of  fellow- 
ship with  God,  and  to  induct  him  into  divine  ser- 


THE   RISEN   CHRIST   AND    HIS   DISCIPLES.      335 

vice.  This  was  the  grand  purpose  of  Christ's 
whole  life.  This  is  the  explanation  of  Christ's 
whole  biography.  Now  what  more  fitting  than 
that  the  history  of  his  life  should  close  with  a  stri- 
king illustration  of  a  man  who  was  revealed  to 
himself,  who  was  convicted  of  sin,  who  was  par- 
doned and  saved,  who  was  brought  into  intimate 
and  loving  association  with  God,  and  whose  life 
was  consecrated  to  daring  and  magnificent  gospel 
work  ? 

While  the  story  told  by  the  chapter  centres  in 
Peter,  it  also  centres  in  Christ.  While  it  lifts  be- 
fore us  the  sin  of  man,  it  lifts  before  us  also  and 
chiefly  the  glory  of  God.  The  sin  of  man  is  but 
the  black  background  which  sets  off  the  brilliant 
looming  and  flashing  of  the  sublime  attribute  of 
God's  mercy.  The  blacker  the  cloud  the  more 
distinct  and  beautiful  is  the  sheen  of  the  rainbow. 
The  blacker  human  iniquity  is,  the  more  clearly  is 
it  seen  "  that  God  is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  dark- 
ness at  all."  The  special  design  of  this  Gospel 
according  to  John  is  to  let  us  see  the  outshining  of 
God  in  Christ.  As  the  Gospel  of  Luke  is  the  Gos- 
pel of  his  humanity,  this  is  the  Gospel  of  his  deity. 
All  through  his  life  John  shows  us  that  Jesus 
Christ  lives  like  God,  thinks  like  God,  speaks  like 
God,  loves  like  God  ;  now  in  closing  his  Gospel  he 
records  an  incident  which  shows  us  that  he  for- 
gives like  God.  Divine  attribute  after  divine  attri- 
bute reveals  itself  in  him — omniscience,  ubiquity  of 
power,  omnipotence,  truth ;  now  the  divine  attri- 
bute of  infinite  mercy  reveals  itself  in  pardoning 


336  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S    GOSPEL. 

the  great  sin  of  Peter,  and  thus  once  more  it  is 
made  plain  that  Jesus  Christ  is  God. 

Is  there  a  grander  attribute  with  which  to  close 
the  gospel  of  the  deity  of  Christ  than  the  divine 
attribute  of  mercy  ?  This  story  of  the  exercise  of 
divine  mercy  with  which  this  Gospel  closes  matches 
the  song  of  the  angels  which  opened  the  life  of 
Christ,  ''  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  on  earth 
peace,  good-will  towards  men."  It  matches  every 
great  and  grand  thing  found  on  the  Gospel  page. 
For  example,  it  matches  the  beautiful  parable  of 
the  Prodigal  Son.  Who  could  be  worse  than  the 
Prodigal?  But  what  reception  could  be  more 
hearty  than  the  reception  which  he  received  ?  Sin 
cannot  outmatch  abounding  grace.  What  case 
could  be  worse  than  Peter's  ?  Oh  what  a  fall  was 
his!  One  hour  he  was  a  holy  apostle,  the  next 
hour  he  was  a  blaspheming  sinner.  But  Christ 
received  him  back  from  his  apostasy  and  gave  him 
a  pardon  and  an  office  and  a  work  and  a  promise 
of  glory.  In  doing  this  he  lifted  the  story  of  the 
Prodigal  Son  out  of  its  parabolic  form  and  transla- 
ted it  into  an  actuality  of  history.  For  example,  it 
matches  that  wonderful  commission  which  Christ 
gave  his  disciples :  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  salvation  in  my  name  ;  and  degin  at  Jerusa- 
lem'' ''Begin  at  Jerusalemr  The  Jerusalem  sin- 
ners were  types  of  the  worst  sinners.  Just  as  Pe- 
ter, the  greatest  sinner  among  the  apostles  who 
had  forsaken  Christ,  was  chosen  first,  the  Jerusa- 
lem sinners,  who  murdered  Christ,  were  chosen 
first.     ""Begin  at  Jerusalem^     It  is  as  if  he  said. 


THE   RISEN   CHRIST   AND    HIS    DISCIPLES.      337 

"  Go  find  the  men  who  said,  *  Crucify  him,'  and  tell 
them  that,  if  they  will  it,  they  may  take  up  the  cry 
of  adoration  which  is  the  joy  of  those  around  the 
throne.  Go  find  the  men  who  placed  the  crown  of 
thorns  upon  my  brow  and  drove  its  sharp  points 
into  my  temples,  and  tell  them  that  I  will  give 
them  crowns  of  glory  if  they  will  but  accept  of 
them.  Go  find  the  soldiers  who  drove  the  nails 
and  handled  the  spear,  and  tell  them  that  I  offer 
the  blood  which  they  shed  for  the  washing  away 
of  their  sins.  Go  find  the  scribes  and  elders  who 
pleaded  against  me  and  secured  my  sentence,  and 
tell  them  that  I  offer  myself  as  their  advocate  at 
the  dread  bar  of  God,  and  that  I  will  deliver  them 
from  condemnation  if  they  will  only  accept  of  me. 
In  searching  up  Peter  and  bringing  him  to  pardon 
and  privilege  Christ  gave  his  disciples  an  example 
of  the  way  the  great  commission  was  to  be  execu- 
ted. *'  God's  mercy  is  above  all  his  works."  This 
is  the  fact  upon  which  the  Gospel  of  the  deity  of 
Christ  rings  the  changes  by  this  incident  which 
fills  its  last  page.  Publicans  and  sinners,  denying 
Peters  and  persecuting  Pauls,  there  is  hope  in 
Christ  for  all  of  these,  for  in  Christ  there  is  the 
outshining  of  divine  mercy.  '*  God  is  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  unto  himself." 

The  story  before  us  is  not  that  of  Peter's  resto- 
ration to  Christ's  favor,  it  is  that  of  his  restoration 
to  apostolic  office  and  work.  The  restoration  to 
Christ's  favor  took  place  prior  to  this.  There  were 
some  things  which  antedated  this  history.  The 
look  which  Christ  gave  Peter  antedated  this  ;  that 

studies  In  John's  Gospel.  J  C 


338  STUDIES   IN   JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

look  brought  Peter  to  penitence.  Before  this  there 
was  a  secret  meeting  between  Christ  and  Peter, 
and  a  special  invitation  was  sent  Peter  calling  him 
to  this  meeting.  The  secret  meeting  was  the 
meeting  for  the  two  hearts,  the  heart  of  Christ  and 
the  heart  of  Peter,  to  be  set  right  with  each  other. 
The  secret  meeting  took  place  on  the  very  day  of 
Christ's  resurrection.  When  the  two  disciples  re- 
turned from  Emmaus  to  Jerusalem,  to  tell  of  their 
experience  with  Christ,  the  Jerusalem  brethren  all 
cried  to  them,  before  they  could  speak  a  word, 
*'  The  Lord  is  risen  and  hath  appeared  unto  Peter !" 
In  summing  up  the  evidences  of  Christ's  resurrec- 
tion, Paul,  long  years  afterwards,  referred  to  it: 
"  He  was  seen  of  Cephas."  Personally,  and  prior 
to  this,  it  was  all  right  between  Peter  and  Christ. 
This  meeting  was  to  rectify  all  things  officially. 
If  Peter  had  not  personally  been  received  by 
Christ  prior  to  this,  he  would  not  have  sprung  out 
of  the  boat  to  meet  Christ  the  moment  John  said, 
"  It  is  the  Lord  !" 

The  scene  of  the  restoration  was  located  by  the 
Sea  of  Galilee.  This  was  a  place  of  precious  mem- 
ories to  the  disciples.  It  had  been  purposely  cho- 
sen for  this  meeting,  and  the  disciples  had  been 
directed  both  by  Christ  and  the  angel  at  the  tomb 
to  gather  here.  A  place  like  this,  which  was 
crowded  with  associations  related  to  Christ,  would 
make  him  all  the  more  real  to  his  disciples.  Be- 
sides, this  was  the  place  where  Christ  first  inducted 
Peter  into  the  apostolic  office,  and  it  was  calculated 
to  bring  up  old  memories  to  Peter,  and  make  the 


THE    RISEN   CHRIST   AND    HIS   DISCIPLES.       3 


reinstatement  more  impressive.  A  great  many 
Bible  critics,  ancient  and  modern.,  interpret  this 
chapter  symbolically,  and  thus  give  it  a  wide  scope 
and  make  it  vivid.  For  example,  they  make  the 
fire  on  the  shore  a  symbol  of  Christ's  sacrifice. 
The  fire  makes  the  fish  acceptable  as  food  ;  even  so 
Christ's  sacrifice  makes  us  acceptable  to  God. 
There  were  two  instalments  of  fish  cooked :  the 
fish  which  Christ  cooked  before  the  disciples  came 
to  land,  and  the  fish  which  the  disciples  caught. 
The  first  they  make  symbolical  of  the  saints  saved 
under  the  Old  Testament,  the  second  the  saints 
saved  under  the  New  Testament  dispensation. 
There  were  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  fish  caught 
in  the  wonderful  draught.  There  were  only  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  species  of  fish  then  known ; 
the  number  therefore  indicates  that  under  this 
dispensation  people  from  every  kindred  and  tongue 
and  nation  shall  be  saved.  The  meal  prepared  is 
construed  into  a  symbol  of  the  marriage  supper  of 
the  Lamb  and  of  the  eternal  refreshment  which 
God  will  provide  for  all  who  labor  for  him  here. 
This  manner  of  interpretation  makes  the  chapter 
very  full  and  picturesque,  and  gives  an  opportunity 
to  emphasize  facts  elsewhere  taught,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  it  scatters  the  force  of  the  chapter,  and 
obscures  the  great  fact  of  Peter's  restoration  and 
the  grand  lessons  which  it  carries  and  illustrates. 
I  believe  that  everything  here  is  vocal :  the  place 
itself,  all  the  incidents  which  transpire,  and  all  the 
striking  things  which  are  noted  ;  but  I  believe  that 
all  these  voices  singly  and  combined  talk  to  Peter 


340  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

and  about  Peter.  There  was  a  fire  burning  at  the 
restoration  ;  there  was  a  fire  burning  at  the  denial. 
It  was  at  "  a  fire  of  coals  "  that  Peter  said,  "  I  never 
knew  him  ;"  it  was  at  *'  a  fire  of  coals  "  that  Peter 
said,  "  I  love  him."  A  meal  preceded  the  restora- 
tion, a  meal  preceded  the  denial.  Peter  went  out 
from  the  Lord's  Supper  to  the  denial  of  his  Master. 
There  was  a  miraculous  draught  of  fishes  at  the 
restoration ;  there  was  a  miraculous  draught  of 
fishes,  after  a  night  of  fruitless  toil,  when  Peter 
was  first  called  to  the  office  of  an  apostle.  Three 
times  Peter  was  made  to  confess  Christ;  three 
times  he  had  denied  Christ.  Three  times  Christ 
re-commissioned  him  ;  three  times  he  had  forfeited 
his  commission.  Christ  questioned  Peter  until  he 
acknowledged  his  divinity  by  saying,  "  Lord,  thou 
knowest  all  things."  Before  his  first  commission 
Peter  acknowledged  Christ's  divinity.  Jesus  called 
him  Simon,  and  not  Peter,  for  that  was  his  name 
before  he  became  an  apostle.  Everything  was  ar- 
ranged so  that  Peter  was  taken  back  to  the  begin- 
ning and  to  his  sin.  Thus  he  was  taught  that  he 
had  made  a  wreck  of  his  life  by  his  fall.  It  was 
necessary  for  him  to  begin  over  again.  It  was 
necessary  for  Christ  to  re-make  him,  and  re-com- 
mission him.  While  Peter's  past  was  held  before 
him  with  an  unswerving  fidelity,  this  was  most 
delicately  done,  and  at  the  same  time  most  thor- 
oughly done.  While  Peter  was  made  publicly  to 
confess  his  fault,  the  method  of  confession  was  one 
which  spared  the  criminal  while  it  impressed  him 
and  made  sin  odious.     He  confessed  his  past  sin 


THE   RISEN  CHRIST   AND   HIS   DISCIPLES.       34I 

by  confessing  his  present  love  and  trueness.  Christ 
never  minimizes  or  glosses  over  sin.  He  always 
requires  a  right  state  of  heart  and  exposes  the 
heart  to  itself.  He  searches  man  through  and 
through  and  compels  him  to  read  the  unread 
page  of  his  history.  He  asks  probing  questions. 
Yet  he  does  all  this  in  a  way  that  softens  the  heart 
of  the  sinner  instead  of  hardening  it.  Christ 
guards  against  two  extremes:  he  guards  against 
laxity  and  severity,  sentimentality  and  sternness. 

POINTS   DEDUCED. 

I.  The  work  of  grace  is  a  magjtificent  work. 
We  have  many  exhibitions  of  this  work.  Every 
soul  in  the  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  be- 
fore the  throne  of  God  is  the  embodiment  and 
manifestation  of  grace.  Grace  is  at  work  in  Peter 
involving  and  evolving  a  grand  character.  No 
sculptor  ever  made  more  out  of  a  rough  piece  of 
marble,  even  when  he  wrought  it  into  the  most 
superb  of  angelic  forms,  than  divine  grace  made 
out  of  rough  Peter,  the  fisherman  of  Galilee.  Be- 
hold what  he  was  when  grace  found  him !  Igno- 
rant, uncouth,  profane,  carnal  in  his  tastes,  and  low 
and  vulgar  in  his  ambitions.  Behold  him  under 
the  developments  of  grace  !  A  man  of  the  highest 
ambitions,  sacrificing  self  for  others,  spiritual  in 
his  nature,  modelling  after  a  perfect  pattern,  broad 
in  his  outlook,  filled  with  heavenly  conceptions  and 
with  divine  truth,  swaying  multitudes  and  lifting 
them  above  sin,  and  raising  the  very  dead  by  his 
faith  in  Christ.     When  grace  finishes  its  work  in 


342  STUDIES   IN   JOHN  S   GOSPEL. 

Peter  his  old  self  is  regenerated,  purified,  sublima- 
ted, transfigured. 

Grace  does  a  grand  work,  because  it  has  before 
it  a  magnificent  model.  It  aims  at  making  men 
Christlike.  It  gives  them  strength  to  obey  Christ's 
command,  "  Follow  me."  This  command  is  a  two- 
worded  compendium  of  all  Christian  duty. 

Grace  does  a  grand  work,  because  it  acts  from 
itself  and  is  self-sufiicient.  It  does  not  depend  for 
stimulus  upon  the  sinner.  If  it  did  it  would  soon 
cease  to  act.  It  holds  on  to  the  sinner  despite  the 
sinner's  abuse.  It  perseveres  despite  the  sinner's 
many  falls.  It  counts  nothing  a  failure.  The 
prodigal  may  be  very  bad,  but  it  decrees  his  re- 
turn. When  men  stone  the  prophets  of  God,  it 
sends  the  Son  of  God.  When  men  crucify  the  Son 
of  God,  it  sends  the  Spirit  of  God.  Our  only  hope 
for  ourselves  and  for  all  whom  we  seek  to  restore 
and  reclaim  from  the  power  of  sin  is  in  the  un- 
changing and  almighty  grace  of  God.  When  we 
become  discouraged  with  regard  to  ourselves  or 
with  regard  to  those  among  whom  we  labor,  be- 
cause of  the  desperate  wickedness  of  heart  and  the 
amazing  outbreaking  of  sin,  the  only  help  we  can 
get  is  by  looking  up  to  God  and  remembering  the 
unchangeable  purposes  of  his  almighty  grace.  The 
discouraged  Moses  looked  at  the  sinning  Israel 
and  jiespaired.  He  said,  **  It  is  no  use  trying  fur- 
ther; it  is  impossible  to  make  anything  out  of 
Israel."  Just  as  he  was  about  to  abandon  them  it 
occurred  to  him  to  look  up  to  God  to  see  if  there 
were  anything  in  Him  upon  which  he  could  build 


THE   RISEN  CHRIST  AND   HIS   DISCIPLES.      343 

hope  for  Israel.  He  cried  to  God,  "  Show  me  thy 
glory."  And  God  showed  him  his  glory,  and  he 
learned  that  it  was  God's  glory  to  forgive  and  to 
show  mercy.  Then  Moses  said,  "  If  God  thus 
holds  on  to  sinning  Israel  and  forgives,  I  will  hold 
on  to  Israel  and  labor  with  them."  The  grace  of 
God  does  a  grand  work  because  there  is  nothing 
that  can  discourage  it.  It  begins  anew  and  works 
on  until  it  works  out  its  ideal  in  the  soul  and  life 
of  man. 

2.  Love  to  Christ  is  tJie  only  unfailing  spring  of 
Christian  activity. 

Christ  tells  us  that  love  was  the  spring  of  his 
life,  love  to  the  Father ;  he  makes  love  the  spring 
of  our  life,  love  to  Him.  According  to  his  decree 
love  has  been  the  central  principle  of  every  beau- 
tiful and  holy  Christian  life.  Paul's  life  was  such 
a  life,  and  he  accounts  for  it  by  love :  "  The  love 
of  Christ  constraineth  us."  When  the  surgeons 
were  cutting  with  their  sharp  lances  into  the  breast 
of  a  wounded  French  soldier  to  find  the  ball,  the 
man  opened  his  eyes  and  said,  *'  Cut  a  little  deeper 
and  you  will  find  the  emperor."  Love  for  Napo- 
leon was  the  spring  of  bravery  in  the  French  army. 
If  you  enter  into  the  inner  life  of  the  Christian, 
down  in  the  deepest  depth  you  will  find  Jesus 
Christ  and  him  only.  Love  for  him  is  the  spring 
of  every  grace.  Love  for  him  has  thrown  massive 
cathedrals  into  the  air,  has  builded  asylums  and 
institutions  for  carrying  the  gospel  to  the  ends  of 
the  earth  and  for  putting  the  Word  of  Life  into 
the  hands  of  the  dying.     When  there  is  no  love 


344  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

for  Christ  in  the  church  there  is  no  enterprise,  no 
self-sacrifice,  no  effective  work.  There  is  only- 
weakness  and  coldness  and  deadness. 

There  is  always  something  supreme  in  every 
man,  and  that  supreme  affection  makes  him  like 
its  object.  When  Christ  is  the  object,  the  reigning 
affection  makes  us  like  Christ,  whose  life  was  built 
upon  love  and  was  spent  in  doing  good.  To  do 
the  loftiest  work  we  must  be  animated  by  the  lofti- 
est principle.  There  is  no  loftier  principle  than 
love  to  Christ. 

No  wonder  that  God  has  made  love  the  spring 
of  Christian  activity.  For  see  what  love  does  in 
God  ;  it  moves  him  to  give  his  own  Son.  It  builds 
heaven  for  us ;  it  makes  the  glorious  covenant ;  it 
utters  the  precious  promises.  As  it  works  in  God 
so  it  works  in  man.  It  fills  him  with  sympathy 
and  pity  and  sacrifice.  It  takes  away  drudgery 
and  makes  work  a  delight.  It  consecrates  learning 
and  genius  and  eloquence  to  the  development  and 
uplifting  of  humanity.  Paul  portrays  the  deeds 
which  are  the  natural  outgrowth  of  love  in  that 
psalm-chapter  of  his  which  treats  of  "  Faith,  Hope, 
and  Charity."  Everything  negatively  grand  and 
everything  positively  grand  grows  from  it  as  the 
variegated  flower  grows  from  the  seed.  We  may 
weave  justice  and  truth  and  morality  into  our  life, 
and  we  may  in  this  way  make  our  life  a  beautiful 
structure ;  but  if  love  be  not  supreme  in  it,  our 
life  is  simply  a  dahlia  without  fragrance.  It  is  an 
infinite  remove  from  the  sweet-scented  lily,  the 
praises  of  which  were  spoken  by  Christ. 


THE   RISEN   CHRIST  AND   HIS   DISCIPLES.      345 

No  wonder  God  made  love  the  spring  of  Chris- 
tian life,  for  love  is  an  undying  grace.  True  love 
for  Christ  is  like  the  silver  rill  that  has  been  flow- 
ing down  the  mountain-side  for  centuries.  It  is 
unfailing.  Is  it  not  time  that  the  little  rill  had 
exhausted  itself?  Exhausted  itself?  It  cannot  do 
that,  for  it  is  fed  by  an  inexhaustible  spring.  The 
clouds  feed  the  spring,  and  the  ocean  itself  feeds 
the  clouds.  You  might  as  well  talk  of  the  ocean 
exhausting  itself  as  the  rill.  Christian  love  is  fed 
from  the  inexhaustible  fulness  of  God.  "  We  love 
him  because  he  first  loved  us."  It  is  therefore  as 
permanent  as  God.  It  will  work  for  Christ,  no 
matter  how  the  world  treats  it.  It  may  be  insult- 
ed, despised,  rejected,  persecuted,  still  it  will  bless 
and  work  and  spend  itself  and  see  Christ  in  the 
poor  and  needy  and  see  Christ  in  itself. 

3.  Restoration  is  one  of  the  covenant  blessings  of 
the  child  of  God. 

Nothing  can  be  more  clearly  presented  than 
this.  Here  it  is  in  actual  history  in  the  experience 
of  the  apostle  Peter.  All  through  the  Bible  we 
find  it.  Samson  was  restored  and  given  strength 
to  win  the  crowning  victory  over  the  enemies  of 
the  Lord.  Solomon  was  restored  and  allowed  to 
write  the  story  of  his  wanderings  for  the  warning 
of  men  to  the  end  of  time.  Noah  was  restored, 
and  the  lips  that  drained  the  wine-cup  uttered  the 
blessing  of  the  covenant.  David  was  restored,  and 
God  used  him  to  write  the  penitential  Psalms  for 
the  church.  So  clearly  did  David  understand  this 
doctrine  that  he  offered  a  wonderful  and  daring 
15*     ■ 


34^  STUDIES  IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

prayer  to  God  when  he  was  seeking  his  way  back 
to  God.  He  asked  God  to  so  cleanse  him  that 
there  might  be  no  stain  of  sin  upon  him.  He 
asked  God  to  give  him  His  Holy  Spirit  and  to  give 
him  back  the  joys  of  salvation.  He  asked  for  new 
and  grander  appointments  to  work.  And  David 
was  right.  His  prayer  was  put  into  his  heart  by 
the  Lord  himself.  God  himself  teaches  the  be- 
liever to  sing, 

"  My  soul  he  doth  restore  again 
And  me  to  walk  doth  make 
Within  the  paths  of  righteousness, 
Even  for  his  own  name's  sake." 

Christ  taught  his  disciples  that  it  was  their  duty 
to  forgive  an  offending  brother  until  seventy  times 
seven,  i.  e.,  without  limit.  The  forgiveness  of  God 
cannot  be  below  man's  forgiveness.  Christ  declares 
that  he  is  the  Good  Shepherd.  Now  one  import- 
ant function  of  the  good  shepherd  is  to  seek  and 
find  and  restore  the  lost  sheep.  He  willingly  goes 
forth  on  the  search,  and  his  voice  rings  the  name 
of  the  lost  one  among  the  mountains  until  crag 
echoes  it  to  crag.  There  is  not  a  chasm  or  preci- 
pice left  unscrutinized.  The  one  lost  sheep  of  the 
hundred  occupies  more  of  his  thoughts  than  the 
ninety-and-nine  that  are  safe.  This  is  what  Jesus 
says,  and  this  certainly  magnifies  and  makes  prom- 
inent God's  work  of  restoration. 

But  is  there  no  danger  in  preaching  this  doc- 
trine and  in  making  it  prominent?  Christ  did  not 
think  there  was,  else  he  would  not  have  done  so. 
The  whole  mission  of  the  Son  of  God  was  restora- 


THE   RISEN   CHRIST  AND   HIS   DISCIPLES.      347 

tion.  There  is  a  danger  that  we  may  not  appre- 
hend fully  the  grand  fact  that  God  does  restore  us 
when  we  fall.  What  then  ?  There  is  no  seeking 
for  restoration  and  no  burning  effort  to  reclaim  the 
fallen.  The  guilty  past  becomes  an  ever-present 
burden  which  crushes  us  and  makes  progress  to- 
wards the  right  and  towards  God  unattainable. 
The  great  enemy  of  souls  uses  a  guilty  past  to  cre- 
ate despair  and  spiritual  paralysis.  The  story  of 
Peter's  restoration  is  an  antidote  to  despair.  The 
greatest  sin  which  we  can  commit  against  God  is 
to  despair  of  his  grace.  And  this  greatest  sin 
against  God  is  the  greatest  injury  we  can  inflict 
upon  ourselves  and  upon  our  fellow-men. 

But  if  you  preach  strongly  the  doctrine  of  res- 
toration as  one  of  the  blessings  of  the  covenant,  is 
there  not  danger  that  you  will  make  sin  easy? 
Christ  did  not  think  so,  else  he  would  not  have 
preached  it  as  he  did.  To  all  who  think  of  using 
this  doctrine  for  the  purpose  of  writing  down  the 
heinousness  and  bitterness  of  sin,  we  say,  remem- 
ber the  awful  experience  of  those  sinners  who 
were  restored.  Remember  the  eyeless  sockets  of 
Samson  and  the  years  of  midnight  and  the  grind- 
ing at  the  mill  as  a  slave  and  the  derision  and 
mocking  laughter  of  enemies.  Remember  David's 
days  and  nights  of  anguish  and  the  painful  after- 
judgments.  Remember  Peter's  night  of  bitter 
weeping  and  the  spasms  of  fear  which  seized  him. 
Remember  the  Prodigal  Son.  For  notwithstand- 
ing the  kiss  and  robe  and  feast,  there  was  always 
an  ever-present   sense   of  that   awful  waste  and 


348  STUDIES   IN  JOHN'S   GOSPEL. 

wreck  which  he  made  of  the  first  part  of  his  life. 
There  was  always  a  sense  of  weakness  and  of 
dregs.  There  was  not  a  day  of  his  after-life  that 
he  did  not  say,  ''  Oh  what  a  fool  I  was  !"  And  he 
was  a  fool,  and  so  is  every  youth  in  this  nineteenth 
century  who  acts  as  he  acted. 

Recognizing  the  awfulness  of  sin,  it  is  ours  to 
rejoice  that  there  is  a  way  open  from  sin  to  God, 
and  it  is  ours  to  preach  to  the  fallen  Peters  and 
point  them  to  the  heights  of  privileges  to  which 
God  wants  to  lift  them.  They  may  become  apos- 
tles again.  They  may  enter  into  their  old  com- 
munion with  Christ.  They  may  speak  for  Christ 
and  write  for  Christ  and  die  for  Christ  and  be  for 
ever  with  Christ  in  glory. 


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